Content exposure attribution based on renderings of related content across multiple devices

ABSTRACT

A method of an attribution server is disclosed. The method includes determining that one or more request(s) is received through the computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device, and determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device. The method also includes determining that the first content and the second content are related, determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user, and determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device based on exposure thereof to the first content on the first device.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This patent application is a Continuation application of, and hereby incorporates the entirety of the disclosures of, and claims priority to, each of the following cases:

-   -   (1) Co-pending U.S. Continuation-in-Part patent application Ser.         No. 15/829,869 titled CONTENT EXPOSURE ATTRIBUTION BASED ON         RENDERINGS OF RELATED CONTENT ACROSS MULTIPLE DEVICES filed on         Dec. 1, 2017,     -   (2) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/183,756 titled         SECOND SCREEN NETWORKING, TARGETING, AND COMMUNICATION         METHODOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS filed on Jun. 24, 2015,     -   (3) Co-pending U.S. Continuation patent application Ser. No.         15/217,978 titled RELEVANCY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH TARGETING OF         INFORMATION BASED ON DATA GATHERED FROM A NETWORKED DEVICE         ASSOCIATED WITH A SECURITY SANDBOX OF A CLIENT DEVICE filed on         Jul. 23, 2016,     -   (4) U.S. Continuation patent application Ser. No. 14/018,408         titled EXPOSURE OF PUBLIC INTERNET PROTOCOL ADDRESSES IN AN         ADVERTISING EXCHANGE SERVER TO IMPROVE RELEVANCY OF         ADVERTISEMENTS filed on Sep. 4, 2013 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.         9,589,456,         -   a. which further claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent             Application No. 61/696,711 titled SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF             RECOGNIZING CONTENT filed on Sep. 4, 2012, and         -   b. which further claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent             Application No. 61/803,754 titled APPLICATIONS OF ZEROCONF             BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN A NETWORKED DEVICE AND             A SECURITY SANDBOX COMPRISING TARGETED ADVERTISEMENT,             ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS, USER MAPPING, GEOLOCATION SERVICES,             AND CONTENT IDENTIFICATION filed on Mar. 20, 2013, and     -   (5) U.S. Continuation patent application Ser. No. 14/981,928         titled RELEVANCY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH TARGETING OF INFORMATION         BASED ON DATA GATHERED FROM A NETWORKED DEVICE ASSOCIATED WITH A         SECURITY SANDBOX OF A CLIENT DEVICE filed on Dec. 29, 2015 and         issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,386,356,         -   a. which is a Continuation-in-Part patent application of             U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/274,800 titled             MONETIZATION OF TELEVISION AUDIENCE DATA ACROSS MULTIPLE             SCREENS OF A USER WATCHING TELEVISION filed on May 12, 2014             and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,258,383,             -   i. which itself is a Continuation patent application of                 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/943,866 titled                 RELEVANCY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH TARGETING OF INFORMATION                 BASED ON DATA GATHERED FROM A NETWORKED DEVICE                 ASSOCIATED WITH A SECURITY SANDBOX OF A CLIENT DEVICE                 filed on Jul. 17, 2013 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.                 8,819,255,                 -   1. which further is a Continuation patent                     application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.                     13/904,015 titled REAL-TIME AND RETARGETED                     ADVERTISING ON MULTIPLE SCREENS OF A USER WATCHING                     TELEVISION filed on May 28, 2013 and issued as U.S.                     Pat. No. 9,026,668,                 -    a. which further claims priority to U.S.                     Provisional patent application 61/652,153 titled                     CONTENT RECOGNITION SYSTEM filed on May 26, 2012,                 -   2. which further is a Continuation patent                     application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.                     13/736,031 titled ZERO CONFIGURATION COMMUNICATION                     BETWEEN A BROWSER AND A NETWORKED MEDIA DEVICE filed                     on Jan. 7, 2013 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.                     9,154,942,                 -    a. which further claims priority to U.S.                     Provisional Patent Application No. 61/584,168 titled                     CAPTURING CONTENT FOR DISPLAY ON A TELEVISION filed                     on Jan. 6, 2012,                 -   3. which further is a Continuation patent                     application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.                     13/470,814 titled GENERATION OF A TARGETED                     ADVERTISEMENT IN AN UNTRUSTED SANDBOX BASED ON A                     PSEUDONYM filed on May 14, 2012 and issued as U.S.                     Pat. No. 8,539,072,                 -    a. which itself is a Continuation patent                     application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.                     12/592,377 titled DISCOVERY, ACCESS CONTROL, AND                     COMMUNICATION WITH NETWORKED SERVICES FROM WITHIN A                     SECURITY SANDBOX, filed on Nov. 23, 2009 and issued                     as U.S. Pat. No. 8,180,891,                 -    i. which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent                     Application No. 61/118,286 titled DISCOVERY, ACCESS                     CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATION WITH NETWORKED SERVICES                     FROM WITHIN A SECURITY SANDBOX filed on Nov. 26,                     2008.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

This disclosure relates generally to content matching and attribution systems and, more particularly, to content exposure attribution based on renderings of related content across multiple devices.

BACKGROUND

Content, such as shows, movies, news, music, and games, may be available to consumers through an increasing number of different mediums (e.g., over-the-air broadcasts, satellite signals, cable, internet streams, as well as optical and magnetic media). Content marketing may be a process employed by an organization (e.g., a business, content managers, authors, broadcasters) to build audiences for a new type of content. Content marketing may promote a particular content (e.g., a show, a movie, news, music, and/or a game) associated with the organization.

Potential consumers may be more likely to view the content on devices (e.g., depending upon their choice and/or availability) produced by organizations of whom they have previously seen and/or viewed advertisement for. Content marketers may want to track when an exposure to an ad leads to a purchase and/or viewing of content. As sources and technologies multiply, it may become more and more difficult to track viewership and/or draw conclusions based on correlating one behavior with another. The different mediums may often be based on very different technologies, and sometimes controlled by parties with very different business models.

Targeting consumers in a mobile environment may be a constant challenge for marketers, broadcasters, and website managers. For authors and managers of online advertisement campaigns and broadcasters, reaching consumers on whatever devices they use can mean managing a large number of separate campaigns and/or advertisements. Therefore, the organization may spend substantially in purchasing digital advertising (e.g., television advertisements, online advertisements) to promote content thereof.

Further, the organization may be unaware of the efficacy of ad exposure thereof leading to purchase and/or actual viewing of the content. Particularly, the organization may lack data associated with consumers who have previously seen an advertisement on one device before watching content on a different device. This lack of data may lead to the organization spending money in purchasing digital advertising inefficiently. Additionally, the organization may waste valuable resources in tracking consumer behavior and/or viewership that are utilizing multiple devices in which advertisements for the content is shown. Furthermore, the organization may have difficulty in identifying likely viewers for new content.

The content managers may be unable to make sure their content is displayed across a number of screens, and then being able to attribute value back to each media placement. The difficulty may lie in coordinating the messaging across screens in a manner that will coherently tell the brand story to the correct audience (e.g., the consumer).

SUMMARY

Method(s), an apparatus and/or a system related to content exposure attribution based on renderings of related content across multiple devices are disclosed.

In one aspect, a method of an attribution server is disclosed. The method includes determining that one or more request(s) is received through a computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device. The first data includes data related to the one or more request(s), and the one or more request(s) is made in response to a request for the first content on the first device or the first content being rendered on the first device.

The method also includes determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device, and determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof. Further, the method includes determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through the first data and the second data and/or a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and/or a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network.

Still further, the method includes determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device based on exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the one or more request(s) from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.

In another aspect, another method of an attribution server is disclosed. The method includes determining that one or more request(s) is received through a computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device. The first data includes data related to the one or more request(s), and the one or more request(s) is made in response to a request for the first content on the first device or the first content being rendered on the first device.

The method also includes determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device, and determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof. Further, the method includes determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through the first data and the second data and/or a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and/or a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network.

Still further, the method includes determining that the same user is likely to have originated the one or more request(s) from the first device based on exposure thereof to the second content on the second device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the one or more request(s) from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.

In yet another aspect, a method of an attribution server communicatively coupled to a server of a content ID data provider through a computer network is disclosed. The method includes determining that one or more request(s) is received through the computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content logged at the server. The first data includes data related to the one or more request(s), and the one or more request(s) is made in response to a request for the first content on the first device or the first content being rendered on the first device.

The method also includes determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data logged at the server, and determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof. The second data is related to renderings of content on the second device. Further, the method includes determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through the first data and the second data and/or a third party server, a mutually visible WiFi® base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and/or a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network.

Still further, the method includes determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device after exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the one or more request(s) from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.

The methods, system, and/or apparatuses disclosed herein may be implemented in any means for achieving various aspects, and may be executed in a form of machine readable medium embodying a set of instructions that, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform any of the operations disclosed herein. Other features will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Example embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system of automatic bidirectional communication between multiple devices, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a system of bidirectional communication between a relevancy-matching server 200, a client device 100, and a networked device 102, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting a system of performing a discovery through a pairing server 300, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a system of bidirectional communication between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 using an extension 404 of a security sandbox 104, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting the client device 100 gathering a primary data 500 through a sandboxed application 112 and communicating the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200 through an image 502, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting the client device 100 gathering the primary data 500 through an executable code 600 and communicating the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200 through the executable code 600, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting the client device 100 residing on a separate network from the networked device 102 and gathering the primary data 500 from an intermediary server 700, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting the relevancy-matching server 200 communicating a targeted data 800 to the client device 100 and the networked device 102, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram depicting the relevancy-matching server 200 communicating the targeted data 800 to the client device 100 associated with a user 902, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a system including a content identification server 1006 configured for automatic bidirectional communication with a number of capture servers 1008A, 1008B, the client device 100, and the networked device 102, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a system of automatic bidirectional communication between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 involving the content identification server 1006 and a plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a content identification (CID) service 1002 generating a CID data 1200 based on a media data 1004, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a system of determining an identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the content identification server 1006 communicatively coupled to the number of capture servers 1008A, 1008B, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the content identification server 1006 and the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram depicting the content identification server 1006 configured to generate an annotated metadata 1504, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram depicting the content identification server 1006 configured to generate an identifying metadata 1602, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving a watermark data 1204, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving an identifying information 1208, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving a fingerprint data 1202 and an other fingerprint data 1906, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a table 2050 depicting a determination of the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 by comparing a fingerprint data sequence 2000 to a fingerprint database 1900, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a table 2150 depicting a determination of a recurring sequence 2102, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving a descriptive metadata 1206 and an other watermark data 2200, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of the content identification server 1006 gathering the CID data 1200 and a plurality of other CID data 1402, 1404, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a table view of the content identification server 1006 gathering a provisional identification 2400 of the media data 1004 and a number of other provisional identifications 2400 of a number of other media data 1108, 1112, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a table view of the content identification server 1006 determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 based on a consensus, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of the content identification server 1006 using the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to identify the other fingerprint data 2602, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a schematic view of a content matching system 2700, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a schematic view of identifier(s) (2802, 2804) being stored in first server 2702 and second server 2704 of content matching system 2700, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a schematic view of the procurement of identifier(s) 2804 of FIG. 28, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a schematic view of association of first device 2740 and second device 2750 of content matching system 2700 based on shared public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a schematic view of alternate forms of association between first device 2740 and second device 2750 of content matching system 2700, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a schematic view of verification of the association between first device 2740 and second device 2750 of content matching system 2700, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved in a method of an attribution server communicatively coupled to a first server of a network data provider and a second server of a content identification (ID) data provider through a computer network, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved in another method of an attribution server communicatively coupled to a first server of a site data provider and a second server of a content ID data provider through a computer network, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved in yet another method of an attribution server communicatively coupled to a server of a content ID data provider through a computer network, according to one embodiment.

Other features of the present embodiments will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments, as described below, relate to method(s), an apparatus and/or a system of content exposure attribution based on renderings of related content across multiple devices. Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system of automatic bidirectional communication (e.g., sending and receiving information in both directions without prior configuration by a human) between multiple devices, according to one embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a client device 100, a networked device 102, a security sandbox 104, an executable environment 106, a processor 108, a memory 110, a sandboxed application 112, a sandbox-reachable service 114, a communication session 116, a cross-site scripting technique 118, an appended header 120, a same origin policy exception 122, and an other mode 124. The client device 100 communicates bidirectionally with the networked device 102 of FIG. 1.

According to one embodiment, the client device 100 may be a computer, a smartphone, and/or an other hardware that may be configured to initiate contact with a server to make use of a resource. The client device 100 may constrain the executable environment 106 in the security sandbox 104. The client device 100 may also execute the sandboxed application 112 in the executable environment 106 using the processor 108 and the memory 110. Further, the client device 100 may automatically establish the communication session 116 between the sandboxed application 112 and the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102. The communication session 116 may be established between the sandboxed application 112 and the sandbox-reachable service 114 through the cross-site scripting technique 118, the appended header 120, the same origin policy exception 122, and/or the other mode 124 of bypassing a number of (e.g., at least one) access controls of the security sandbox 104.

According to one embodiment, the networked device 102 may be a geolocation device, a hygrometer, a thermometer, a barometer, an anemometer, a television, an audio device, a game console, a set top box, an other computer, and/or an other hardware connected by a number of communications channels that allow sharing of a number of resources and/or a number of information. The networked device 102 may perform a number of sandbox-reachable services (e.g., a geolocation service, a hygrometer service, a thermometer service, an anemometer service, a barometer service, a content identification service 1002, a Media Access Control address service, a private Internet Protocol address service) using a processor and a memory. Thus, the networked device 102 may generate a primary data 500 and/or a preliminary data 702. The primary data 500 and/or the preliminary data 702 may be associated with a user 902.

The networked device 102 may also be configured to automatically announce the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102 to a discovery module 302 prior to an establishment of the communication session 116 between the sandboxed application 112 and the sandbox-reachable service 114. A service agent module of the networked device 102 may coordinate a number of communications with the discovery module 302 by listening on a socket, acting as a means for a number of services on the networked device 102 to discover each other, and/or announcing on behalf of the number of services. An announcement may identify the sandbox-reachable service 114 being offered and how to reach the sandbox-reachable service 114 (e.g., by communicating an identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102). Thus, the client device 100 may be configured to automatically process the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102 from the discovery module 302. The client device 100 may also be configured to automatically associate with the networked device 102 through the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 communicatively coupled to the sandbox-reachable service 114 based on the identification data 304.

For example, the geolocation service may be announced by performing a HTTP POST to a URL http://flingo.tv/fling/announce with a body

{  “service” : “gps” ,  “model_id” : “Foo GPS Z5” ,  “guid” : “8df5f7271e36cdbc4db4513a9e660817ff0fa94a” ,  “description” : “Service providing local GPS coordinates” } The announcement may also contain the primary data 500. Thus, the announcement may contain the body

{  “service” : “gps” ,  “model_id” : “Foo GPS Z5” ,  “guid” : “8df5f7271e36cdbc4db4513a9e660817ff0fa94a” ,  “description” : “Service providing local GPS coordinates” ,  “latitude” : 43.60336,  “longitude” : −110.7362 } Alternatively, the primary data 500 may be separated from a service description such that the URL specifies the service description while the body specifies the primary data 500 provided by the service. For example,

 http://flingo.tv/fling/announce?service=gps&model_id=Foo+GPS+Z5&guid=8df5f727  1e36cdbc4db4513a9e660817ff0fa94a&description=Service+providing+local+GPS+co  ordinates with the body  {   “latitude” : 43.60336,   “longitude” : −110.7362  } The primary data 500 may take an XML format, a JSON format, a binary format, and/or an other format. A wireless base station may be instrumented with a number of networked devices (e.g., a set of sensors) to announce the primary data 500 about an environment.

The networked device 102 may also announce an availability of the sandbox-reachable service 114 across a range of public addresses such that the sandboxed application 112 communicates with the sandbox-reachable service 114 in any one of the range of public addresses. However, the range of public addresses may be known by a pairing server 300 such that the announcement of the availability of the sandbox-reachable service 114 across the range of public addresses is unnecessary. Thus, the sandbox-reachable service 114 may communicate a global unique identifier (GUID) 704, an alphanumeric name, and/or a private address pair of the sandbox-reachable service 114 to the pairing server 300. The private address pair may comprise (e.g., include, but not be limited to) a private Internet Protocol (IP) address and a port number associated with the sandbox-reachable service 114.

Further, the networked device 102 may render (e.g., present, transmit in a consumable format, deliver) a media data 1004 to the user 902. The media data 1004 may comprise a television program, a movie, a musical composition, a newspaper article, a web page, or an advertisement. When the networked device 102 comprises a media device (e.g., a hardware that renders a published information), the networked device 102 may comprise a networked media device, an other networked media device 1106A, 1106B, and/or a heterogeneous (e.g., incompatible with an operating system and/or the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100) networked media device.

The content identification (CID) service 1000, 1002 and/or an other CID service 1104, 1110 may comprise a provision of a discrete function of identifying the content of the media data 1004 and/or an other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 within a systems environment. The CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may employ a number of methods (e.g., a fingerprinting method, a watermarking method, a metadata extraction method) for determining an identification 1304 (e.g., a content identification) of the media data 1004. The CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may be a hardware, a software, a firmware, and/or an integrated circuit. The sandbox-reachable service 114 may comprise the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102. The CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 may also communicate the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to the sandboxed application 112 through the communication session 116 and/or the announcement.

For example, the networked device 102 offering the CID service 1002 may announce http://flingo.tv/fling/announce with the body

{  “service” : “cid” ,  “make” : “Whiz Bang” ,  “model_id” : “WZB1000” ,  “description” : “Identifies content currently being viewed on the TV.” ,  “private_ip” : [ “192.168.1.12:8080” ] } The sandboxed application 112 may then discover the number of sandbox-reachable services. For example, the sandboxed application 112 may use the cross-site scripting technique 118 based on a script tag (e.g., using a JSONP technique, using a jQuery® JavaScript library).

<script type=”text/javascript”>  function cb (x) {   var s = JSON.stringify (x,undefined, 4) ;   document.getElementById (“result”).innerHTML =   “<pre>” + s + “</pre>” ;  }  function jsonp ( url, cb ) {   $.ajax( { url : url, dataType : ‘jsonp’ , success : cb,    error : function ( ) {     alert ( “jsonp failed for url=” + url ) ;    },    timeout : 5000 } ) ;  }  var doit = function ( ) {   jsonp ( ‘http://flingo.tv/fling/discover’ , cb ) ;  }  $ (document).ready (doit) ; </script> Thus, the sandboxed application 112 containing a list of a number of devices and/or a number of services on a network (e.g., a local area network, a multicast network, an anycast network, a multilan network, a private network, and/or an other collection of hardware interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information) is created.

{  “count” : 1,  “yourip” : “208.90.215.161”,  “interval” : 900,  “devices” : [   {    “model_id” : “WZB1000”,    “description” : “Whiz Bang 1000 100\” OLED TV”,    “make” : Whiz Bang Inc.”,    “t”: 1325643090,    “services” : [     {      “description” : “Identifies content currently being      viewed on the TV.”,      “service” : “cid”,      “t” : 1325643090,      “version” : “2011-12-29T22:10:56-cc4dc7b20cle”,      “private_ip” : [“192.168.1.12:8080”],      “name” : “FLINGO Content ID”     },     {      “description” : “Service for playing flung videos.”,      “service” : “flingo”,      “name” : “Fling Queue”,     }    ],    “guid” : “8821877d58ce99ef54aa370419529e2fab40dad2”,   },  ] } A discovery may also be limited to the number of devices providing a particular service. For example, the discovery may be limited to a number of CID services 1000, 1002 by querying http://flingo.tv/fling/discover?service=cid

The sandboxed application 112 may then extract the GUID 704 of the networked device 102. The sandboxed application 112 may also query the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102 (e.g., using JSONP).

<script>

... jsonp(http://flingo.tv/cid/content_id?guid= + guid, id_cb) ; ... function id_cb(id) {  alert( “content_id=” + id.content_id ) ; } </script> Thus, the sandboxed application 112 may obtain the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 from the CID service 1002. Similarly, the sandboxed application 112 may obtain the primary data 500 from the sandbox-reachable service 114 of an intermediary networked device that communicates with a sandbox-unreachable service of the networked device 102.

Additionally, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 may be used to query for a number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004. For example, the identification 1304 “t:22343:959030” may correspond to “The Office” episode titled “Ben Franklin.”

$ curl “http://flingo.tv/cid/metadata?content_id=t:22343:959030” { “show_url” : “http://www.tv.com/shows/the-office/” , “show_id” : “22343” , “content_type” : “tv_show” , “show_desc” : “The Office: Based on the popular British series of the same name, this faster- paced American version follows the daily interactions of a group of ...” , “timestamp” : 1313480002.472693, “ep_desc” : “Michael celebrates Phyllis' wedding shower by bringing two performers into the office: a stripper and a Ben Franklin impersonator. Meanwhile, Karen confronts Pam about her past history with Jim.” , “ep_url” : “http://www.tv.com/shows/the-office/ben-franklin-959030/” , “ep_id” : “959030” , “guide” : “TV.com” , ... }

The security sandbox 104, the processor 108, and the memory 110 each exist within the client device 100 of FIG. 1 and communicate bidirectionally with each other. According to one embodiment, the security sandbox 104 may be the operating system on which the sandboxed application 112 is hosted, a browser application of the operating system, and/or an other mechanism for separating a number of running programs to execute an untested code and/or a number of untrusted programs from a number of unverified third-parties, a number of suppliers, a number of untrusted users, and/or a number of untrusted websites.

Each of a number of applications of a web browser and/or a mobile device may be constrained inside the security sandbox 104. The security sandbox 104 may constrain what each of the number of applications is allowed to do. For example, the security sandbox 104 may limit access to the network, thereby making it difficult for the client device 100 to find the networked device 102 of the user 902 and/or to obtain information directly from the networked device 102. Such information may include what is currently playing on the networked device 102.

The mobile device may also impose the security sandbox 104. The security sandbox 104 of the mobile device may exist at an operating system level. The operating system of the mobile device may differ from a traditional operating system in that the traditional operating system mostly applied a security to the user 902, a number of individual files, and/or a number of individual directories so that a user application could not corrupt the traditional operating system. This is different from having a separate security sandbox for each of the number of applications so that each of the number of applications cannot access a data of an other application and/or limiting a specific application from having access to a number of operating system services (e.g., a GPS service, a network service).

According to one embodiment, the processor 108 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an integrated circuit such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a hardwired electronic logic circuit, a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or an other part of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a program by performing the arithmetical, logical, and/or input/output operations of the system. According to one embodiment, the memory 110 may be a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, and/or an other machine-readable storage media.

The executable environment 106 exists within the security sandbox 104 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the executable environment 106 may be a virtual machine, a jail, a scripting language interpreter, a scratch space on a disk and/or a memory, and/or an other tightly controlled set of resources in which to run a number of guest programs.

The sandboxed application 112 exists within the executable environment 106 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the sandboxed application 112 and/or an other sandboxed application may be an untested code, an untrusted program (e.g., from an untrusted web page), and/or an other software that can be executed with an appropriate runtime environment of the security sandbox 104.

The sandbox-reachable service 114 exists within the networked device 102 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the sandbox-reachable service 114 may be a smart television application, a set top box application, an audio device application, a game console application, a computer application, and/or an other service that can be discovered and/or communicated with from within the security sandbox 104. The sandbox-reachable service 114 may comprise the other sandboxed application when the sandbox-reachable service 114 is constrained by the security sandbox 104 of a device in which the sandbox-reachable service 114 resides.

The communication session 116 exists between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the communication session 116 may be an information interchange between two terminals. The communication session 116 may exist directly between the client device 100 and the networked device 102. Alternatively, the communication session 116 may exist indirectly between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 (e.g., through the pairing server 300).

The cross-site scripting technique 118 exists as a component of the communication session 116 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the cross-site scripting technique 118 may be a type of a computer security vulnerability that enables an injection of a client-side script to bypass the number of access controls.

The appended header 120 also exists as a component of the communication session 116 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the appended header 120 may be a mechanism (e.g., a cross-origin resource sharing) that allows a cross-domain request by adding a new header (e.g., an origin header, a referrer header).

Additionally, the same origin policy exception 122 exists as a component of the communication session 116 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the same origin policy exception 122 may be a technique for relaxing a rule preventing an access to a number of methods and/or a number of properties across a number of pages on a number of different sites. For example, a hyperlink, a form, a script 706, a frame, a header, and/or an image 502 may be used to establish the communication session 116.

Further, the other mode 124 exists as a component of the communication session 116 of FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the other mode 124 may be a mechanism of bypassing the number of access controls of the security sandbox 104. The other mode 124 may enable the discovery via a multicast-based discovery protocol, a broadcast-based discovery protocol, and/or an anycast-based discovery protocol. The other mode 124 may also enable a pairing via an entry of a short code and/or an account name in the client device 100 and/or the networked device 102. For example, the other mode 124 may comprise a Facebook® Connect feature and/or an OAuth service.

FIG. 2 depicts a system of bidirectional communication between a relevancy-matching server 200, the client device 100, and the networked device 102, according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112, the sandbox-reachable service 114, the communication session 116, the relevancy-matching server 200, a storage 202, and an embedded object 204.

The relevancy-matching server 200 exists in the cloud 712 and is communicatively coupled to the storage 202, the client device 100, and the networked device 102 of FIG. 2. According to one embodiment, the relevancy-matching server 200 may be a computer hardware system dedicated to matching, using a processor and a memory, a targeted data 800 with the primary data 500 based on a relevancy factor associated with the user 902. The relevancy factor may comprise a category of the primary data 500, a behavioral history of the user 902, a category of the sandboxed application 112, and/or an other information associated with the user 902. The relevancy-matching server 200 may comprise a computer, a plurality (e.g., at least two) of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The relevancy-matching server 200 may be the pairing server 300 and/or an intermediary server 700. The relevancy-matching server 200 may also be configured to render the targeted data 800 to the user 902 through the networked device 102 and/or the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100.

The storage 202 also exists in the cloud 712 and is communicatively coupled to the relevancy-matching server 200 of FIG. 2. According to one embodiment, the storage 200 may be a technology comprising a number of computer components and/or a recording media used to retain a digital data. The storage 200 may be a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a disk, and/or an other repository of the targeted data 800. The storage 200 may exist within the relevancy-matching server 200. Alternatively, the storage 200 may be external to the relevancy-matching server 200. The storage 200 may also reside on a different network from the relevancy-matching server 200. The relevancy-matching server 200 may match the targeted data 800 with the primary data 500 by searching the storage 200 for a matching item and/or a related item based on the relevancy factor.

The embedded object 204 exists within the sandboxed application 112 of FIG. 2. According to one embodiment, the embedded object 204 may be the script 706, the image 502, a player, an iframe, and/or an other external media included in the sandboxed application 112. The sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may process the embedded object 204 from the relevancy-matching server 200 (e.g., by pulling in the embedded object 204 from the relevancy-matching server 200). The client device 100 may also gather the primary data 500 through the embedded object 204 and/or the sandboxed application 112. When the embedded object 204 comprises a statically rendered object (e.g., the image 502), the sandboxed application 112 may be configured to gather the primary data 500 from the networked device 102 through the communication session 116. When the embedded object 204 comprises an executable code 600 (e.g., the script 706, the player, the iframe), the executable code 600 may be configured to gather the primary data 500 from the networked device 102 through the communication session 116 (e.g., by discovering and querying a number of reachable devices for the primary data 500).

For example, the user 902 may visit example.com and download a web page index.html from example.com. The index.html web page may pull in the script 706 <SCRIPT> *s* from the relevancy-matching server 200 example_ads.com. The script 706 may use an extension 404 and/or the pairing server 300 to discover and query the networked device 102 for the primary data 500. If the primary data 500 comprises the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, the script 706 may pull in a JavaScript code that uses a XMLHttpRequest to perform a HTTP GET request to an URL http://flingo.tv/fling/discover?service=cid A discovery service (e.g., detects the number of devices and/or the number of services on the network) may return a list of the number of devices in the network of the user 902 that offer the CID service 1000, 1002. If one of the number of devices has the GUID 704 “f51eba3ab7c3410379e9dcfeb58bb3d3878a2978”, the script 706 may query for the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 using http://flingo.tv/cid/content_id?guid=f51eba3ab7c3410379e9dcfeb58bb3d3878a2978

A state for the networked device 102 with the GUID 704 may be maintained inside a content identification server 1006 (e.g., a computer hardware system dedicated to identifying a content of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 using a processor and a memory). In response, the content identification server 1006 may return

  {  “count” : 253,  “rel_ts” : 262604,  “content_id” : “SH006197570000”,  “ts” : 1344045862604,  “notifications” : [ ] }

The client device 100 may communicate the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200 through the embedded object 204. When the relevancy-matching server 200 has the primary data 500, the relevancy-matching server 200 may use the primary data 500 to select the targeted data 800 to render to the user 902. The relevancy-matching server 200 may synchronize the targeted data 800 on the client device 100 to the primary data 500 on the networked device 102.

For example, a web page starting from zero knowledge may query the networked device 102 offering the sandbox-reachable service 114 to learn the temperature and/or the humidity in the locale of the user. The web page may then be automatically modified accordingly.

FIG. 3 depicts a system of performing the discovery through the pairing server 300, according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112, the sandbox-reachable service 114, the pairing server 300, the discovery module 302, and the identification data 304.

The pairing server 300 exists in the cloud 712 and is communicatively coupled to the client device 100 and the networked media device 102 of FIG. 3. According to one embodiment, the pairing server 300 may be a computer hardware system dedicated to enabling, using a processor and a memory, the communication session 116 between the sandboxed application 112 and the sandbox-reachable service 114. The pairing server 300 may comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The pairing server 300 may also be the relevancy-matching server 200 and/or the intermediary server 700.

The client device 100 may be configured to process the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102 in a manner such that the client device 100 is configured to access the discovery module 302 of the pairing server 300. The pairing server 300 may be configured to receive in the announcement from the networked device 102 and to communicate to the client device 100 the identification data 304 when a shared network is determined to be commonly associated with the client device 100 and the networked device 102.

The pairing server 300 may also provide a relay service (e.g., transmits a data between two terminals that are incapable of communicating directly) between the client device 100 and the networked device 102. A WebSocket (e.g., a web technology providing a number of full-duplex communications channels over a single Transmission Control Protocol connection) and/or a long-polling message query interface may be used to reduce a latency of a message delivery in a manner such that a polling period between a number of consecutive pollings may be less than a timeout period of a session through the relay service. However, when the pairing server 300 communicates the hardware address of the networked device 102 (e.g., a MAC address) and/or the private address pair of the sandbox-reachable service 114 to the client device 100, the client device 100 may communicate directly with the networked device 102 (i.e. bypassing the relay service of the pairing server 300).

The discovery module 302 exists within the pairing server 300 of FIG. 3. According to one embodiment, the discovery module 302 may be a self-contained component that performs the discovery service. The discovery module 302 may also be a software, a hardware, a firmware, and/or an integrated circuit. The client device 100 may access the discovery module 302 of the pairing server 300 to perform the discovery.

The identification data 304 exists between the pairing server 300 and the client device 100 as well as between the pairing server 300 and the networked device 102 of FIG. 3. According to one embodiment, the identification data 304 may comprise a geolocation, the GUID 704, the alphanumeric name, the hardware address associated with the networked device 102, a public address pair (e.g., a public Internet Protocol address and a port number) associated with the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102, and/or the private address pair associated with the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102. The identification data 304 may enable the communication session 116 between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 when the client device 100 and the networked device 102 no longer reside on the shared network.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting a system of bidirectional communication between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 using the extension 404 of the security sandbox 104, according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112, the sandbox-reachable service 114, the discovery module 302, the identification data 304, a discovery algorithm 400, a relay module 402, and the extension 404.

The discovery algorithm 400 exists within the discovery module 302 of FIG. 4. According to one embodiment, the discovery algorithm 400 may be a procedure for detecting the number of devices and/or the number of services on the network. The discovery algorithm 400 may utilize a protocol comprising a Bonjour® protocol, a Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) protocol, a local service discovery (LSD) uTorrent® protocol, a multicast protocol, an anycast protocol, and/or a local area network (LAN)-based protocol that discovers a number of services in a LAN 708 based on a broadcast from any one of an operating system service, the security sandbox 104, the client device 100, the sandbox-reachable service 114, and the networked device 102.

The relay module 402 exists within the extension 404 and communicates with the sandboxed application 112, the discovery module 302, and the sandbox-reachable service 114 of FIG. 4. According to one embodiment, the relay module 402 may be a self-contained component that performs the relay service. The relay module 402 may also be a software, a hardware, a firmware, and/or an integrated circuit.

The extension 404 of the security sandbox 104 exists within the client device 100 of FIG. 4. According to one embodiment, the extension 404 may be a program adding a number of capabilities of the discovery module 302 and/or the relay module 402 to the sandboxed application 112. The extension 404 may be a plugin, an add-on, and/or an addition to a core functionality (e.g., a modification of a core code and/or a runtime) of the sandboxed application 112. The client device 100 may extend the security sandbox 104 with the discovery module 302 and the relay module 402 added to the security sandbox 104. The sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may use the extension 404 to process the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102.

When the client device 100 pairs with the networked device 102, the automatic bidirectional communication may comprise the client device 100 pushing the media data 1004 to the networked device 102. According to one exemplary embodiment, the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may be a web browser. The user may visit a web page and drag a bookmark from the web page to a bookmark bar of the web browser. The bookmark may comprise a bookmarklet (e.g., the bookmark that contains a number of JavaScript commands). The bookmarklet may not be constrained to a same origin policy and may send and/or receive a number of results using a XmlHttpRequest exchanged directly with the discovery service and/or the relay service.

A bookmarklet remote procedure call (RPC) may communicate a private broadcast to the number of services in the network. Alternatively, the bookmarklet RPC may send a discovery request to the discovery service to find the number of services in the network and then communicate via the relay service with the number of services in the network. If the discovery service and/or the relay service returns a number of private address pairs, the bookmarklet may use the XmlHttpRequest to directly communicate with the number of devices in the network and/or perform a number of RPC calls.

The bookmarklet may forward a property (e.g., a window.location.href property) that returns the URL of the web page to the discovery service and/or the relay service. A new web page may be opened to request that the user confirm an intent to push the media data 1004 to the networked device 102. A form may be presented to request that the user select the networked device 102 to receive the media data 1004. The discovery service and/or the relay service may discover a number of networked media devices sharing a local network based on an IP address of the client device 100.

A device (e.g., the pairing server 300, the client device 100, a server) in which the discovery service and/or the relay service exists and/or an other device (e.g., an other server) to which the discovery service and/or the relay service communicates the URL of the web page may extract a raw URL. The device and/or the other device may also use a fragile code to extract a metadata from the web page. For example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMRg11hQLds corresponds to a YouTube® web page with an embedded video. The YouTube® web page contains three metadata tags. A thumbnail for each video may also be obtained by pulling a video identifier out of the URL using http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/FMRgllhQLds/default.jpg and/or http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/FMRgllhQLds/hqdefault.jpg. A number in “i3” may be changeable between “i1” and “i4” while returning a same image. The number of results comprising the raw URL, the metadata, and/or the thumbnail may be communicated to the number of networked media devices sharing the local network.

The bookmarklet RPC may be used to retrieve the number of results from the device and/or the other device. The number of results may be displayed in an alert and/or passed to a Document Object Model of the web page (e.g., if an error occurs). The bookmarklet RPC may also be used to obtain an information from the networked device 102. The bookmarklet may then pass the information on to a third-party website. For example, the bookmarklet may send the XmlHttpRequest to the networked device 102 discovered by the discovery service of the pairing server 300. The bookmarklet may query for the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 currently being rendered by the networked device 102. The bookmarklet may then pass the identification 1304 as a number of query-value parameters to a metadata association server (e.g., an IMDb® database) to obtain the number of metadata about the media data 1004 presently being rendered by the networked device 102.

In another embodiment, the automatic bidirectional communication may also comprise the client device 100 communicating an object (e.g., a data upon which an operation is performed) of a function (e.g., open a web page, play a video, play a musical composition, display a video game graphic) of the sandboxed application 112 and/or a request (e.g., a longpoll HTTP request, a command to play a song) to perform the function of the sandboxed application 112 to the heterogeneous networked media device. The sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may establish the communication session 116 with the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the heterogeneous networked media device using the pairing server 300, the extension 404, and/or the remote access token. The sandbox-reachable service 114 of the heterogeneous networked media device may comprise a sandboxed application function service (e.g., a web page opener service, a video playing service, a music playing service, a video game playing service). For example, the user 902 may pick up an iPhone® and open an App that plays music. When the user 902 gets home, the music stops playing on an iPhone® and immediately starts playing on a Bose® audio system. However, the user 902 retains the volume and playback controls for the music on the iPhone®.

The sandboxed application 112 may be configured to communicate with the other sandboxed application in a manner such that the client device 100 may be configured to offer the sandboxed application 112 as sandbox-reachable service to the other sandboxed application and/or forward a number of communications to the other sandboxed application through the relay service. The other sandboxed application may comprise the sandboxed application function service of the heterogeneous networked media device. For example, a web page may communicate with an other web page in the same manner in which the webpage communicated with the sandbox-reachable service 114 through the communication session 116 (e.g., the webpage may forward the request to the relay service, and the other web page may long poll the relay service for the request).

The sandboxed application function service may be configured to communicate with the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 in a manner such that the sandboxed application function service may be configured to incorporate a first executable code (e.g., a callback comprising an argument in a query string) into an invocation procedure of the sandboxed application function service, generate a second executable code (e.g., a return result that calls the callback with the return result), and execute the first executable code with the second executable code. According to one embodiment, the invocation procedure may a sandbox-reachable (e.g., using JSONP) service call. For example, the invocation procedure may be a remote procedure call (RPC).

The client device 100 may be configured to retain a number of control operations (e.g., a playback operation, a rewind operation, a navigation operation) of the sandboxed application 112 when the heterogeneous networked media device is configured to perform the function of the sandboxed application 112. For example, a video game may be displayed on the heterogeneous networked media device while the client device 100 may be used to play the video game.

The relay service may be configured to forward the request to perform the function of the sandboxed application 112 from the client device 100 to the heterogeneous networked media device. The heterogeneous networked media device may be configured to constantly listen for the request through a connection application comprising a polling application, a streaming application, a WebSocket application, and/or a long-polling application. The long-polling application may be configured to optimize a polling period between a long-polling and a consecutive long-polling in a manner such that the polling period is less than a timeout period of the long-polling.

For example, the sandboxed application function service may always be running. The sandboxed application function service may communicate a message query (e.g, an initiation of a process of retrieving an asynchronous communication) to the relay service by HTTP long-polling the relay service and/or a device providing the relay service. By optimizing the polling period such that the polling period is less than the timeout period of the session of the relay service, the heterogeneous networked media device may constantly listen for the request. If an “open” message arrives as the body to the longpoll HTTP request, the heterogeneous networked media device may open a fullscreen window containing the web page.

In another exemplary embodiment, the heterogeneous networked media device may be configured to run a sandboxed application server (e.g., a computer hardware and/or a computer software dedicated to providing a data to the sandboxed application 112, the other sandboxed application, and/or the sandboxed application function service). For example, the sandboxed application server may comprise a web server. The sandboxed application server may comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The sandboxed application server may also be the sandboxed application function service, the heterogeneous networked media device, the pairing server, and/or the trusted intermediary server. Further, the sandboxed application server 700 may be a firmware and/or an integrated circuit.

The sandboxed application server may be configured to provide the sandboxed application function service. The sandboxed application function service may also be configured to process the object of the function of the sandboxed application 112 from the client device 100 and to perform the function of the sandboxed application 112 through the sandboxed application server.

For example, the object may comprise a URI of a web page. The user 902 may navigate to a web page *w* using the client device 100. The web page *w* may discover the heterogeneous networked media device and communicate an intent of the user 902 to open a web page *v*. The heterogeneous networked media device may run the sandboxed application server (e.g., the web server) that offers the sandboxed application function service. The sandboxed application function service may provide the invocation procedure at a URL “http://x:y/open” where x refers to an IP address and/or a domain name of the heterogeneous networked media device and y is a port that provides the sandboxed application function service.

The sandboxed application 112 may communicate the object (e.g., POST a URL *u* to http://x:y/open) causing the sandboxed application server to open the web page *v* pointing at the URL *u*. The sandboxed application 112 may communicate with the invocation procedure using the first executable code comprising the argument in the query string of http://x:y/open. The return result may be the second executable code (e.g., a JSON script) that calls the first executable code.

The sandboxed application 112 may communicate the URI of the webpage to the sandboxed application server that offers the sandboxed application function service. The sandboxed application server may then open a browser window pointing at the URI of the web page.

A trusted intermediary (e.g., a computer hardware and/or a computer software that enforces and/or prompts the user 902 to set a number of communication policies) may be configured to request an authorization to perform the function of the sandboxed application 112 through the heterogeneous networked media device. The trusted intermediary may also be configured to store the authorization in the sandboxed application 112 and/or a trusted intermediary server (e.g, a server from which the trusted intermediary is downloaded). Additionally, the trusted intermediary may be configured to request the authorization through the client device 100.

For example, the trusted intermediary may be the pairing server 300, an iframe, a browser window, a browser tab, a new web page, etc. When the trusted intermediary comprises the iframe, the number of communication policies may be enforced from within the client device 100. The sandboxed application 112 may communicate the object to the sandboxed application function service of the heterogeneous networked media device. The sandboxed application server in the heterogeneous networked media device offering the sandboxed application function service may return the trusted intermediary comprising the iframe asking the user 902 whether to permit the web page to open on the heterogeneous networked media device. Thus, the iframe may prompt the user 902 for the authorization through the sandboxed application 112. The trusted intermediary may store the authorization with the trusted intermediary in a web browser as a cookie. The authorization may also be stored in the trusted intermediary server (e.g., the pairing server 300, the sandbox application server).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting the client device 100 gathering the primary data 500 through the sandboxed application 112 and communicating the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200 through the image 502, according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112, the sandbox-reachable service 114, the relevancy-matching server 200, the storage 202, the primary data 500, and the image 502.

The primary data 500 exists between the sandbox-reachable service 114 and the sandboxed application 112 as well as between the image 502 and the relevancy-matching server 200 of FIG. 5. According to one embodiment, the primary data 500 may comprise the identification 1304 (e.g., a title, an episode number) of the media data 1004, a number of descriptive metadata 1206 (e.g., a face recognition, a voice recognition, a music recognition, a product recognition, a brand name recognition) associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, a content identification history (e.g., a viewing history, a listening history, a subset of the media data 1004 previously rendered by the networked device 102), a monitored event 802, the geolocation (e.g., a GPS coordinate, a Geo-IP coordinate), a weather information, the Media Access Control (MAC) address of the client device 100, a private Internet Protocol (IP) address, and/or an other data stored in a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, a RAM).

The image 502 exists within the sandboxed application 112 of FIG. 5. According to one embodiment, the image 502 may be a HTML tag that incorporates a number of in-line graphics into an HTML document. The embedded object 204 may comprise the image 502. The sandboxed application 112 may query the sandbox-reachable service 114 for the primary data 500. The sandboxed application 112 may also pull in the image 502 from the relevancy-matching server 200. The image 502 may then be used to pass along the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200. Thus, the identification data 304 of the client device 100 and/or the networked device 102 may remain unknown to the relevancy-matching server 200.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting the client device 100 gathering the primary data 500 through the executable code 600 and communicating the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200 through the executable code 600, according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112, the sandbox-reachable service 114, the relevancy-matching server 200, the storage 202, the primary data 500, and the executable code 600.

The executable code 600 exists within the sandboxed application 112 and communicates with the sandbox-reachable service 114 and the relevancy-matching server 200 of FIG. 6. According to one embodiment, the executable code 600 may be the script 706, the player, the iframe, and/or an other set of instructions that runs within the client device 100. The sandboxed application 112 may pull in the executable code 600 from the relevancy-matching server 200. The executable code 600 may be configured to gather the primary data 500 from the sandbox-reachable service 114 and/or the networked device 102. The executable code 600 may then be used to pass along the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200. Thus, the identification data 304 of the client device 100 and/or the networked device 102 may remain unknown to the relevancy-matching server 200.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting the client device 100 residing on a separate network from the networked device 102 and gathering the primary data 500 from the intermediary server 700, according to one embodiment. FIG. 7 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112, the sandbox-reachable service 114, the relevancy-matching server 200, the storage 202, the primary data 500, the intermediary server 700, the preliminary data 702, the GUID 704, the script 706, the LAN 708, a cellular network 710, and the cloud 712.

The intermediary server 700 exists within the cloud 712 and is communicatively coupled to the client device 100 and the networked device 102 of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the intermediary server 700 may be a computer hardware system dedicated to generating the primary data 500 based on the preliminary data 702 using a processor and a memory. The intermediary server 700 may comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The intermediary server 700 may also be the pairing server 300 and/or the relevancy-matching server 200. The intermediary server 700 may be configured to process the preliminary data 702 from the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 and to generate the primary data 500 based on the preliminary data 702. The intermediary server 700 may also be configured to communicate the primary data 500 to any of a number of devices with the access to the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102 (e.g., via a remote access token).

For example, the intermediary server 700 may be the content identification server 1006. The intermediary server 700 may process the preliminary data 702 comprising a watermark data 1204 extracted by the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102. The intermediary server 700 may compare the watermark data 1204 to a watermark database 1700 to determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 associated with the watermark data 1204. Thus, the intermediary server 700 may generate the primary data 500 comprising the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 based on the watermark data 1204.

The intermediary server 700 may then communicate the primary data 500 to the client device 100 if the client device 100 knows the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 comprising the CID service 1002. For example, the client device 100 may have obtained the GUID 704 of the networked device 102 from the discovery module 302 of the pairing server 300 when the client device 100 and the networked device 102 previously resided on the shared network. The client device 100 may have stored the GUID 704 in the remote access token (e.g., a cookie). Thus, the client device 100 may query the intermediary server 700 for the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 using the GUID 704 of the networked device 102. The intermediary server 700 may act as a trusted intermediary to enforce a policy regarding which of the number of devices may access the primary data 500 of the networked device 102.

The preliminary data 702 exists between the networked device 102 and the intermediary server 700 of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the preliminary data 702 may be an information associated with the user 902 that is generated by the networked device 102. The preliminary data 702 may be identical to the primary data 500 (e.g., a content identifying metadata extracted by the networked device 102). Alternatively, the preliminary data 702 may need to be converted into the primary data 500 to be usable by the relevancy-matching server 200 (e.g., a digital fingerprint generated by the networked device 102 that must be compared to a fingerprint database 1900 by the intermediary server 700 to generate the identification 1304 of the media data 1004). The preliminary data 702 may comprise a CID data 1200, 1300 automatically generated by the CID service 1000, 1002 based on the media data 1004. The preliminary data 702 may also comprise a timestamp of the CID data 1200, 1300 and/or a device identifier (e.g., a model identifier, a GUID, a Media Access Control address, an Internet Protocol address). The timestamp may be automatically generated by the CID service 1000, 1002. The timestamp may exist within the content of the media data 1004.

The GUID 704 exists between the client device 100 and the intermediary server 700 of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the GUID 704 may be a reference number used to uniquely identify a location of a data object. The GUID 704 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 may be used by the client device 100 to access the primary data 500 generated by the intermediary server 700. The identification data 304 may comprise the GUID 704. The identification data 304 may also comprise the geolocation of the networked device 102. The client device 100 may also store the geolocation in the remote access token. The geolocation may be used to authenticate the communication session 116 between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 (e.g., by confirming that the client device 100 and the networked device 102 currently and/or previously shared the geolocation of the networked device 102). The geolocation may also be used by the client device 100 to obtain the primary data 500 of the networked device 102 through the intermediary server 700.

The script 706 exists within the sandboxed application 112 of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the script 706 may be a program written for a software environment that automates an execution of a number of tasks. The embedded object 204 and/or the executable code 600 may comprise the script 706. The script 706 may gather the primary data 500 from the intermediary server 700 and communicate the primary data 500 to the relevancy-matching server 200.

The LAN 708 is associated with the networked device 102 of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the LAN 708 may be a collection of a number of links and a number of nodes that interconnects a number of devices in a limited area.

The cellular network 710 is associated with the client device 100 of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the cellular network 710 may be a radio network distributed over a number of land areas served by a fixed-location transceiver. The client device 100 on the cellular network 710 may obtain the primary data 500 of the networked device 102 on the LAN 708 through the intermediary server 700.

The cloud 712 is associated with the intermediary server 700, the relevancy-matching server 200, and the storage 202 of FIG. 7. According to one embodiment, the cloud 712 may be a remote location accessible over the Internet that makes available a number of computing resources. The intermediary server 700, the relevancy-matching server 200, and the storage 202 may each reside in a different remote location.

For example, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 may be communicated via the cloud 712. The networked device 102 may communicate the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to a server in the cloud 712. The server in the cloud 712 may then store and/or forward the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to any of the number of devices that are paired (e.g., have access to the identification data 304) with the networked device 102. A communication of the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 may occur immediately and/or at a later time (e.g., to retarget a client-device advertisement a number of hours after the user saw the content associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004). Using the relay service of the server in the cloud 712 to relay the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 may be necessary if the client device 100 cannot establish a direct connection to the networked device 102 (e.g., when the client device 100 is a mobile phone using a wireless 4G data network while the networked device 102 is behind a firewall on a wired ISP).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting the relevancy-matching server 200 communicating the targeted data 800 to the client device 100 and the networked device 102, according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112, the sandbox-reachable service 114, the relevancy-matching server 200, the storage 202, the embedded object 204, the targeted data 800, and the monitored event 802.

The targeted data 800 exists between the relevancy-matching server 200 and the client device 100 as well as between the relevancy-matching server 200 and the networked device 102 of FIG. 8. According to one embodiment, the targeted data 800 may comprise a content recommendation, an advertisement, a product recommendation, and/or an other information related to the primary data 500. The targeted data 800 may comprise the matching item and/or the related item in the storage 202. The targeted data 800 may be communicated to the client device 100 and/or the networked device 102.

The monitored event 802 exists between the networked device 102 and the client device 100 of FIG. 8. According to one embodiment, the monitored event 802 may be an interaction between the user 902 and the networked device 102. For example, the targeted data 800 may comprise an interactive advertisement. The interaction between the user 902 and the networked device 102 may become the primary data 500 of the networked device 102. The interaction may then be communicated to the client device 100.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram depicting the relevancy-matching server 200 communicating the targeted data 800 to the client device 100 associated with the user 902, according to one embodiment. FIG. 9 shows the client device 100, the relevancy-matching server 200, the targeted data 800, a unique identifier 900 of the client device 100, and the user 902.

The unique identifier 900 exists between the client device 100 and the relevancy-matching server 200 of FIG. 9. According to one embodiment, the unique identifier 900 may be a reference information of the client device 100. The unique identifier 900 of the client device 100 may be used as a pseudonym for the user 902.

The networked device 102 may have a better view of the network than the sandboxed application 112. The networked device 102 may see the unique identifier 900 of the client device 100 on a number of packets as the number of packets transit within the network. Thus, the networked device 102 may generate and/or communicate the unique identifier 900 to the sandboxed application 112.

The unique identifier 900 may also be used to generate a user profile. The targeted data 800 may be initialized by a number of triggers comprising a number of closed captions, a logo detection, a metadata, a face detection, a voice detection, and/or the monitored event 802. The targeted data 800 and/or the primary data 500 may be synchronized across a plurality of devices by creating the user profile in a user profile server. The user profile server may be the pairing server 300, the relevancy-matching server 200, and/or the intermediary server 700. The user profile server may create the user profile by aggregating a number of login information from a number of different services (e.g., a Facebook® service, a Google® service, a Myspace® service, a Windows Live® service, a Yahoo!® service, an OpenID® service). The user profile may also comprise a name, an email address, a gender, a birthday, a timezone, a website, a phone number, a profile picture, an address, a status, a number of interests, a music, a number of movies, a number of television shows, a number of books, a number of friends, a relationship status, and/or an employment information. The user profile may be associated with the client device 100 using the unique identifier 900 of the client device 100. The number of login information may be communicated to any of the plurality of devices.

The user 902 is associated with the client device 100 of FIG. 9. According to one embodiment, the user 902 may be a human who utilizes the client device 100. The client device 100 may communicate the unique identifier 900 to the relevancy-matching server 200. The client device 100 may be associated with the user 902 based on the unique identifier 900 that is unlikely to change. The relevancy-matching server 200 may identify the client device 100 using the unique identifier 900. The relevancy-matching server 200 may also communicate the targeted data 800 tailored for the user 902 to the client device 100 with the unique identifier 900 associated with the user 902.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a system including the content identification server 1006 configured for automatic bidirectional communication with a number of capture servers 1008A, 1008B, the client device 100, and the networked device 102, according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the CID service 1000, 1002, the media data 1004, the content identification server 1006, a capture server 1008A, 1008B, and a media transmission node 1010A, 1010B.

The CID service 1000 exists in the client device 100, and the CID service 1002 exists in the networked device 102 of FIG. 10. The CID service 1000, 1002 of the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102 (e.g., that have the access to the identification data 304) may communicate the preliminary data 702 to the content identification server 1006.

The CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 may exist at a chipset level of the networked device 102. The CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 may also be integrated into a chipset of the networked device 102. Further, the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 may be integrated into a video pipeline and/or an audio pipeline. Still further, the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 may access a buffer (e.g., a frame buffer, a video buffer, an audio buffer).

In one embodiment, the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 and/or the sandboxed application 112 may process and/or generate the CID data 1300 and/or the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 by accessing the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 through the communication session 116. In another embodiment, the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 and/or the sandboxed application 112 may process and/or generate the CID data 1300 and/or the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 by using a sandbox-reachable service of an intermediary device to access a sandbox-unreachable CID service of the networked device 102. In yet another embodiment, the sandboxed application 112 may retrieve the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 from the sandbox-reachable service of the intermediary device. For example, an audio content identification library on the intermediary device may return the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to the sandboxed application 112.

Alternatively, the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 may generate the CID data 1300 by capturing (e.g., processing and/or replicating at least a portion of) the media data 1004 rendered by the networked device 102 (e.g., using the extension 404 to allow the sandboxed application 112 to access the CID service 1000 and/or a capture device of the client device 100, using a loopback interface to allow the sandboxed application 112 to access the CID service 1000 and/or a capture device of the client device 100 by testing a number of ports). Thus, the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 may be subject to a greater amount of signal noise than the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102. Yet another alternative may entail the CID service 1000 generating the CID data 1300 by using the intermediary device to capture the media data 1004 (e.g., by establishing a communication session between the client device 100 and the intermediary device to access a sandbox-reachable CID service of the intermediary device and/or to access the capture device of the intermediary device).

For example, when the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102 comprises the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102, the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may process the CID data 1200 automatically generated by the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 through the communication session 116. The communication session 116 may be established using the discovery service and/or the relay service of the pairing server 300, the extension 404, and/or the remote access token.

When the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 comprises a sandbox-unreachable service, the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may process the CID data 1200 through the sandbox-reachable service of the intermediary device. The sandbox-reachable service of the intermediary device may be configured to utilize a discovery protocol unavailable to the security sandbox 104 of the client device 100 and to process the CID data 1200 from the sandbox-unreachable CID service of the networked device 102. The client device 100 may establish the communication session between the sandboxed application 112 and the sandbox-reachable service of the intermediary device using the discovery service and/or the relay service of the pairing server 300, the extension 404, and/or the remote access token.

Alternatively, the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may access the capture device (e.g., a camera, a microphone) to capture the media data 1004 rendered by the networked device 102. The networked device 102 may comprise the media device that is unconnected from the network of the client device 100. The sandboxed application 112 may use the extension 404 to add the capture device of the client device 100 and/or the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 to the security sandbox 104 of the client device 100. The CID service 1000 may also be made into the extension 404 so that a number of calls from JavaScript running in the sandboxed application 112 may query the CID service 1000 running on the same device as the sandboxed application 112. Further, the sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 may access the sandbox-reachable CID service and/or the capture device of the intermediary device through the communication session 116 between the sandboxed application 112 and the intermediary device.

The sandboxed application 112 may also use the loopback interface (e.g., a loopback address, 127.0.0.1, a localhost) to access the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 and/or the capture device of the client device 100. The sandboxed application 112 may query a number of well-known ports for the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 and/or the capture device of the client device 100. Alternatively, the sandboxed application 112 may query the number of ports associated with a number of private IP addresses returned from the discovery service. The sandboxed application 112 may associate a port with the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 and/or the capture device of the client device 100 by looking for a valid service-specific handshake and/or an other valid service-specific query response. The sandboxed application 112 may then communicate with the CID service 1000 of the client device 100 and/or the capture device of the client device 100 through the port. An available service discovered using the loopback interface may also be added to a list of network services even if the available service was not otherwise announced.

The media data 1004 exists in the networked device 102 of FIG. 10. According to one embodiment, the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 may be a published information rendered to the user 902. The media data 1004 may be rendered to the user 902 by the networked device 102. The other media data 1108, 1112 may be rendered by a number of other networked media devices 1106A, 1106B. The other media data 1904 may be captured by the capture server 1008A, 1008B.

The content identification server 1006 exists in the cloud 712 and is communicatively coupled to the client device 100, the networked device 102, and the number of capture servers 1008A, 1008B of FIG. 10. The content identification server 1006 may comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The content identification server 1006 may also be the relevancy-matching server 200, the pairing server 300, and/or the intermediary server 700.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to automatically determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 previously and/or presently being rendered by the networked device 102. The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the preliminary data 702 (e.g., the CID data 1200, 1300, the timestamp, the device identifier) from the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked media device 102. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to process an other CID data 1302, 1306, 1402, 1404 automatically generated by the other CID service 1104, 1110 based on the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904. Further, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to process an other timestamp of the other CID data 1302, 1306, 1402, 1404 and/or an other device identifier from the other CID service 1104, 1110. The other timestamp may exist within the content of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904.

The capture server 1008A, 1008B exists between the content identification server 1006 and the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B of FIG. 10. According to one embodiment, the capture server 1008A, 1008B may comprise a computer hardware system dedicated to processing and/or replicating at least a portion of the other media data 1904 at the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B, detecting a characteristic 1502 (e.g., a closed captioning, a sound, a text, a voice, a face, a music, a logo, a location, a name, a scene, a word of interest, a product, and/or an other object that may potentially identify the other media data 1904) of the other media data 1904, and/or storing the other media data 1904 in a persistent storage (e.g., a disk). The other CID service 1104, 1110 may exist in the capture server 1008A, 1008B. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may also be the relevancy-matching server 200, the pairing server 300, the intermediary server 700, and/or the content identification server 1006.

The media transmission node 1010A, 1010B is communicatively coupled to the capture server 1008A, 1008B of FIG. 10. According to one embodiment, the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B may comprise a television broadcasting station, a radio broadcasting station, a cable headend, a connection point in a home, and/or an other point in a media distribution network. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may be collocated with a number of servers at the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to automatically generate the other CID data 1302, 1306 of the other media data 1904 captured at the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B and/or an other timestamp of the other CID data 1302, 1306 through the other CID service 1104, 1110 using a processor and a memory. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may also be configured to communicate the other CID data 1302, 1306, the other timestamp, and/or the other device identifier to the content identification server 1006.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a system of automatic bidirectional communication between the client device 100 and the networked device 102 involving the content identification server 1006 and a plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B, according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the CID service 1000, 1002, the media data 1004, the content identification server 1006, an other client device 1102, an other CID service 1104, 1110, the other networked media device 1106A, 1106B, the other media data 1108, 1112, and an other electronic program guide 1100.

The other CID service 1104 exists within the other client device 1102, and the other CID service 1110 exists within the other networked media device 1106B of FIG. 11. The other CID service 1104, 1110 may exist in the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B (e.g., a number of other client devices 1102 and/or the number of other networked media devices 1106A, 1106B within a limited geographic proximity to the networked device 102). The plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B may be configured to automatically generate the other CID data 1402, 1404 of the other media data 1108, 1112 and/or the other timestamp of the other CID data 1402, 1404 through the other CID service 1104, 1110 using a processor and a memory. The plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B may also be configured to communicate the other CID data 1402, 1404, the other timestamp, and/or the other device identifier to the content identification server 1006.

The media data 1004 exists within the networked device 102, the other media data 1108 exists within the other networked media device 1106A, and the other media data 1112 exists within the other networked media device 1106B of FIG. 11. The other media data 1108 may be rendered by the other networked media device 1106A. The other media data 1112 may be rendered by the other networked media device 1106B.

The content identification server 1006 exists in the cloud 712 and is communicatively coupled to the client device 100, the networked device 102, the other client device 1102, and the other networked media device 1106B of FIG. 11. The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process a plurality of other CID data 1402, 1404 of the number of other media data 1108, 1112, a number of other timestamps of the plurality of other CID data 1402, 1404, and/or a number of other device identifiers from a plurality of other CID services 1104, 1110. Further, the content identification server 1006 may automatically determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112 through a crowdsourcing based on a consensus of a provisional identification 2400 of the media data 1004 and a number of other provisional identifications 2400 of the number of other media data 1108, 1112.

The other electronic program guide 1100 exists in the cloud 712 and is communicatively coupled to the content identification server 1006 of FIG. 11. According to one embodiment, an electronic program guide and/or the other electronic program guide 1100 may be a schedule of a number of programs, a number of channels 2100, and/or a number of times. The electronic program guide and/or the other electronic program guide 1100 may be available through a set-top box and/or the Internet.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the CID service 1002 generating the CID data 1200 based on the media data 1004, according to one embodiment. FIG. 12 shows the media data 1004, the CID data 1200, a fingerprint data 1202, the watermark data 1204, a descriptive metadata 1206, and an identifying information 1208.

The CID data 1200 exists at the end of an arrow depicting a process of generating the CID data 1200 from the media data 1004 of FIG. 12. The CID data 1200, 1300 and/or the other CID data 1302, 1306, 1402, 1404 may be a reference information derived from and/or associated with the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904. The CID service 1000, 1002 of the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102 may automatically generate the CID data 1200, 1300. The other CID service 1104, 1110 of the capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B may automatically generate the other CID data 1302, 1306, 1402, 1404. The CID data 1200, 1300 may comprise the fingerprint data 1202, the watermark data 1204, the descriptive metadata 1206, and/or the identifying information 1208. The other CID data 1302, 1306, 1402, 1404 may comprise an other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602, an other watermark data 2200, 2304, an other descriptive metadata 2308, and/or an other identifying information 1800.

The fingerprint data 1202 exists adjacent to the CID data 1200 in an exploded view of the CID data 1200 of FIG. 12. According to one embodiment, the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may be configured to automatically generate the fingerprint data 1202 and/or the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 in a manner such that the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 is configured to detect, extract (e.g., replicate a portion of), quantize (e.g., round a value to a unit of precision), and/or hash (e.g., map a large data set to a small data set) a number of characteristic features and/or a number of other characteristic features of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904. The fingerprint data 1202 may comprise a fingerprint data sequence 2000, and the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 may comprise an other fingerprint data sequence. The CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may also be configured to communicate the fingerprint data 1202 and/or the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 to the content identification server 1006.

The watermark data 1204 also exists adjacent to the CID data 1200 in the exploded view of the CID data 1200 of FIG. 12. According to one embodiment, the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may be configured to automatically generate the watermark data 1204 and/or the other watermark data 2200, 2304 in a manner such that the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 is configured to detect and to extract an embedded signal of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904. The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the watermark data 1204 and/or the other watermark data 2200, 2304 from the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to compare the watermark data 1204 and/or the other watermark data 2200, 2304 to a known watermark data in the watermark database 1700.

Further, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to associate the identification 1304 and/or the provisional identification 2400 (e.g., when the other CID data 1402, 1404 is processed from the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B) of the media data 1004 with the identification of the known watermark data when the watermark data 1204 is identical to the known watermark data. Similarly, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to associate the identification 1304 and/or an other provisional identification 2400 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 with the identification of the known watermark data when the other watermark data 2200, 2304 is identical to the known watermark data.

The descriptive metadata 1206 exists adjacent to the CID data 1200 in the exploded view of the CID data 1200 of FIG. 12. According to one embodiment, the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may be configured to automatically generate the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308 in a manner such that the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may be configured to process a descriptive data (e.g., a channel number, a title, an episode number, a summary, a callsign) and/or an other descriptive data added to the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904. The CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may also communicate the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308 to the content identification server 1006. However, if the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308 identifies the content of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 of the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B may not need to communicate the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308 to the content identification server 1006.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308 from the client device 100, the networked device 102, the capture server 1008A, 1008B, and/or the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B. When the descriptive metadata 1206 identifies the content of the media data 1004, the content identification server 1006 may be further configured to associate the descriptive metadata 1206 with the identification 1304 and/or the provisional identification 2400 of the media data 1004. When the other descriptive metadata 2308 identifies the content of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904, the content identification server 1006 may be further configured to associate the other descriptive metadata 2308 with the identification 1304 and/or the other provisional identification 2400 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904.

The identifying information 1208 exists adjacent to the CID data 1200 in the exploded view of the CID data 1200 of FIG. 12. According to one embodiment, the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may be configured to generate the identifying information 1208 and/or the other identifying information 1800 in a manner such that the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may be configured to retrieve the identifying information 1208 (e.g., a title, an episode number, a summary, a channel number, a callsign) and/or the other identifying information 1800 from a tuner 2300 (e.g., a television tuner, a radio tuner, a quadrature amplitude modulation tuner, an Advanced Television Systems Committee tuner, a stream decoder), an other tuner 1902, the electronic program guide, and/or the other electronic program guide 1100. The capture server 1008A, 1008B, the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B, and/or the content identification server 1006 may access the other tuner 1902 and/or the other electronic program guide 1100.

For example, the networked device 102 may identify the channel number based on the tuner 2300. The CID service 1002 may access the electronic program guide to retrieve the title of the media data 1004 currently scheduled for the channel number. The CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may also communicate the identifying information 1208 and/or the other identifying information 1800 to the content identification server 1006. However, if the identifying information 1208 and/or the other identifying information 1800 identifies the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, the CID service 1000, 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may not need to communicate the identifying information 1208 and/or the other identifying information 1800 to the content identification server 1006.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the identifying information 1208 and/or the other identifying information 1800 from the client device 100, the networked device 102, the capture server 1008A, 1008B, and/or the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B. When the identifying information 1208 identifies the content of the media data 1004, the content identification server 1006 may be further configured to associate the identifying information 1208 with the identification 1304 and/or the provisional identification 2400 of the media data 1004. When the other identifying information 1800 identifies the content of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904, the content identification server 1006 may be further configured to associate the other identifying information 1800 with the identification 1304 and/or the other provisional identification 2400 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904.

When the descriptive metadata 1206 identifies a channel 2100 of the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006 may be further configured to associate the media data 1004 with the other media data 1904 identified by the capture server 1008A, 1008B configured to monitor the channel 2100 identified by the descriptive metadata 1206. When the identifying information 1208 identifies the channel 2100 of the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006 may be further configured to associate the media data 1004 with the other media data 1904 identified by the capture server 1008A, 1008B configured to monitor the channel 2100 identified by the identifying information 1208.

When the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the identifying information 1208 identifies the channel 2100 of the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006 may also be configured to retrieve a content identifying information (e.g., a title) associated with the channel 2100 from the other electronic program guide 1100 communicatively coupled with the content identification server 1006 and to associate the content identifying information with the provisional identification 2400 of the media data 1004. Additionally, when the other descriptive metadata 2308 and/or the other identifying information 1800 identifies the channel 2100 of the number of other networked media devices 1106A, 1106B, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to retrieve the content identifying information associated with the channel 2100 from the other electronic program guide 1100 communicatively coupled with the content identification server 1006 and to associate the content identifying information with the other provisional identification 2400 of the other media data 1108, 1112.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the content identification server 1006 communicatively coupled to the number of capture servers 1008A, 1008B, according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the number of capture servers 1008A, 1008B, the CID data 1200, 1300, the other CID data 1302, 1306, and the identification 1304.

The identification 1304 of the media data 1004 exists between the content identification server 1006 and the client device 100 as well as between the content identification server 1006 and the networked device 102 of FIG. 13. According to one embodiment, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 may comprise a title, an episode number, a channel number, a device identifier, and/or an other reference information associated with the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904.

The capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the content identification server 1006 may access a greater amount of computational resources and a greater amount of memory resources with which to determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1904. The greater amount of computational resources and the greater amount of memory resources of the capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the content identification server 1006 may be conducive to limiting the CID service 1000, 1002 to identifying the channel 2100 of the networked device 102. Thus, the other CID service 1104, 1110 of the capture server 1008A, 1008B along with the content identification server 1006 may determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 at a faster rate. The greater amount of computational resources and the greater amount of memory resources of the capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the content identification server 1006 may also be conducive to separately analyzing an audio portion of the media data 1004 and a video portion of the media data 1004. Thus, the other CID service 1104, 1110 of the capture server 1008A, 1008B along with the content identification server 1006 may always analyze the audio portion of the other media data 1904 corresponding to the media data 1004 in a manner such that the CID service 1000, 1002 may simply query the content identification server 1006 for the identification 1304 of the audio portion. The CID service 1000, 1002 may be limited to analyzing the video portion of the media data 1004 to the extent of identifying the channel 2100 of the networked device 102.

The content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may also be configured to communicate the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, the channel 2100, the descriptive metadata 1206, and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308 to the networked device 102, the client device 100, the metadata association server, a content recommendation server (e.g., a computer hardware system dedicated to suggesting a published information related to the media data 1004), and/or any of the number of devices with the access to the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked media device 102 (e.g., via the remote access token). Thus, the content identification server 1006 may act as a trusted intermediary to enforce a policy regarding which of the number of devices may access the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, the channel 2100, the descriptive metadata 1206, and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308.

The networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or the number of devices may perform any of a number of functions with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004. For example, the number of devices may render a number of recommendations and/or a related media data (e.g., the published information sharing a commonality with the media data 1004) to the user 902. The number of recommendations and/or the related media data may be initialized by a number of triggers comprising a number of closed captions, a logo detection, the descriptive metadata 1206, a detection of the characteristic 1502, and/or a manual event trigger.

For example, the relevancy-matching server 200 may comprise the content recommendation server configured to automatically associate, using a processor and a memory, the identification (e.g., a title, an episode number) of the related media data with the CID data 1200, 1300 of the media data 1004 presently being rendered by the networked device 102, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, and/or the number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004. The content recommendation server may comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The content recommendation server may also be the content identification server 1006, the metadata association server, the intermediary server 700, and/or the pairing server 300.

The CID service 1000, 1002 may communicate the CID data 1200, 1300, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, and/or the number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to the content recommendation server. The content identification server 1006 may also communicate the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to the content recommendation server. The metadata association server may also communicate the number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to the content recommendation server. The content recommendation server may be configured to communicate the identification of the related media data to the networked device 102, the client device 100, the metadata association server, and/or any of the number of devices with the access to the identification data 304.

The relevancy-matching server may also comprise the metadata association server configured to automatically associate, using a processor and a memory, the CID data 1200, 1300 of the media data 1004 presently being rendered by the networked device 102, the identification of the related media data, and/or the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 with the number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and/or the number of metadata associated with the identification of the related media data. The metadata association server may also comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The metadata association server may be an optional intermediary server between the content identification server 1006 and the content recommendation server. The metadata association server may also be the content identification server 1006, the content recommendation server, the intermediary server 700, and/or the pairing server 300.

The CID service 1000, 1002 may communicate the CID data 1200, 1300 and/or the identification 1304 to the metadata association server. The content identification server 1006 may also communicate the identification 1304 to the metadata association server. The content recommendation server may communicate the identification of the related media data to the metadata association server. The metadata association server may generate the number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and/or the number of metadata associated with the identification of the related media data by accessing Tribune®, Rovi®, IMDb®, and/or an other source for the number of metadata about the media data 1004 and/or the related media data. The metadata association server may be configured to communicate the number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and/or the number of metadata associated with the identification of the related media data to the content recommendation server, the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices with the access to the identification data 304.

Further, the relevancy-matching server 200 may comprise a related media data provider (e.g., a computer hardware system dedicated to transmitting the related media data using a processor and a memory). The related media data provider may comprise a computer, a plurality of computers, and/or a peer-to-peer network of computers. The related media data provider may also be the content identification server 1006, the metadata association server, the content recommendation server, the intermediary server 700, the capture server 1008A, 1008B, and/or the pairing server 300.

When the related media data provider is the capture server 1008A, 1008B, a synchronized viewing may be enabled. The synchronized viewing may augment the media data 1004 with the related media data that is being broadcasted. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may capture an audio portion of the media data 1004 separately from a video portion of the media data 1004. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may then use a number of timestamps of the other CID data 1302, 1306 to correlate the audio portion of the media data 1004 and/or the related media data to the video portion of the media data 1004 and/or the related media data based on a choice of the user 902.

For example, the user 902 may view the video portion of the media data 1004 and switch between the audio portion of the media data 1004 and the audio portion of the related media data. Alternatively, the user may listen to the audio portion of the media data 1004 and switch between the video portion of the media data 1004 and the video portion of the related media data. The media data 1004 and the related media data may be the media data 1004 broadcasted on a number of different channels. Thus, the user 902 may select a superior audio portion and/or a superior video portion.

According to one embodiment, the client device 100 may be configured to render the related media data to the user 902 through the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100. The sandboxed application 112 may be configured to process the identification of the related media data from the content recommendation server. The sandboxed application 112 may also be configured to suggest the identification of the related media data to the user 902. Further, the sandboxed application 112 may be configured to process a request to render the related media data through the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 based on a selection of the user 902. Still further, the sandboxed application 112 may be configured to communicate the request and/or the related media data to the networked device 102 when the selection comprises the request to render the related media data through the networked device 102. The networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 may be configured to retrieve the related media data from the related media data provider.

In another embodiment, the content identification server 1006, the metadata association server, and/or the content recommendation server may also be used to automatically update an initial user interface (UI) of the networked device 102 with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, the identification of the related media data, the number of metadata associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, and/or the number of metadata associated with the identification of the related media data. The initial UI may comprise a number of UI elements and/or a number of pages. The networked device 102 may be configured to automatically update and/or display the initial UI. The initial UI may be displayed prior to, after, and/or simultaneously with (e.g., overlaid upon, alongside) a rendering of an initial media data (e.g., the media data 1004 that is rendered immediately following a hardware startup sequence of the networked device 102).

A number of user interactions may trigger the networked device 102 to display the initial UI. For example, the initial UI may be displayed when the user 902 logs into and/or pairs with the networked device 102. The initial UI may also be displayed when the user 902 otherwise interacts with the networked device 102 from the client device 100 (e.g., when the client device 100 is used as a remote control and/or a companion application to the networked device 102).

Further, the initial UI may be displayed when the user 902 and/or an unrecognized user is detected. For example, the networked device 102 may access and/or be communicatively coupled to a camera that detects the user 902 and/or the unrecognized user. The camera may identify the user 902 using a facial recognition algorithm. The networked device 102 may also access and/or be communicatively coupled to a microphone that detects the user 902 and/or the unrecognized user. The microphone may identify the user 902 using a voice recognition algorithm. Thus, the initial UI that is customized (e.g., based on a prior usage, a number of policy settings, and/or a demographic profile) for the user 902 and/or the unrecognized user may be displayed when the user 902 and/or the unrecognized user is within a certain proximity of the networked device 102.

For example, a certain initial UI may be displayed when a male child is detected. A different initial UI may be displayed when an adult woman approaches the male child. If the unrecognized user is detected, the networked device 102 may create a user profile. The user profile may be based on a number of analytics comprising the prior usage, the number of policy settings, and/or the demographic profile. The initial UI may be customized based on the user profile.

The prior usage may comprise a number of identifications of a number of previously rendered media data (e.g., the primary data 500) in the client device 100, the networked device 102, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102. The networked device 102, the client device 100, the content identification server 1006, the metadata association server, the content recommendation server, the intermediary server 700, the relevancy-matching server 200, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102 may be configured to retrieve, aggregate, and/or store the number of identifications of the number of previously rendered media data.

The number of identifications of the number of previously rendered media data may be stored in an identification database. The identification database may be associated with the user profile, the network, the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102. The identification database may reside in the networked device 102, the client device 100, the content identification server 1006, the metadata association server, the content recommendation server, the intermediary server 700, the relevancy-matching server 200, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102.

The networked device 102, the client device 100, the content identification server 1006, the metadata association server, the content recommendation server, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102 may be configured to compare the identification of the related media data to the identification database and to determine the identification of the related media data to be an unrendered related media data (e.g., a missed episode). The initial UI may not be updated with the identification of the related media data when the identification of the related media data comprises a previously rendered media data. The networked device 102, the client device 100, the content identification server 1006, the metadata association server, the content recommendation server, the intermediary server 700, the relevancy-matching server 200, and/or any of the number of devices that currently and/or previously shared the network with the networked device 102 may be configured to automatically update the initial UI.

Additionally, the initial UI may be configured to display a number of channels and/or the number of identifications of the number of previously rendered media data based on a number of occurrences of the number of channels and/or the number of identifications of the previously rendered media data in the identification database. For example, the initial UI may display a number of favorite channels and/or a number of favorite media data. Further, the networked device 102 may be configured to access the electronic program guide and to retrieve the occurrence of a presently renderable media data (e.g., a program that has already started, a program that is about to start) from the electronic program guide. The presently renderable media data may comprise the related media data. In addition, the initial UI may be configured to change the channel 2100 rendered by the networked device 102 based on a selection of the user 902 and/or an other user. For example, the initial UI may access a remote control interface (e.g., via an infrared blaster) of a set-top box to effect a channel change.

Thus, the initial UI may display the media data 1004, the related media data, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, the identification of the related media data, the number of metadata associated with the media data 1004, the number of metadata associated with the related media data, the presently renderable media data, the identification of the presently renderable media data, and/or the number of identifications of the number of previously rendered media data. The initial UI may also display a history of the number of previously rendered media data (e.g., a list of the 10 most recently viewed shows). The initial UI may also comprise a link to the related media data provider. The related media data may be rendered to the user 902 and/or the other user based on an action comprising a click-through action, a subscription action, and/or a purchase action (e.g., a pay-per-view purchase).

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the content identification server 1006 and the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B, according to one embodiment. FIG. 14 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the other electronic program guide 1100, the CID data 1200, 1300, the other CID data 1402, 1404, the identification 1304, and the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to automatically determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 through the crowdsourcing. The crowdsourcing may be based on the consensus of the provisional identification 2400 and a plurality of other provisional identifications 2400. The content identification server 1006 may be configured to aggregate the provisional identification 2400 and the plurality of other provisional identifications 2400. The consensus may be algorithmically determined based on a number of criteria comprising a predetermined percentage of a predetermined number of samples, a reliability of the provisional identification 2400, and/or an other factor affecting a confidence score (e.g., measures an accuracy of the identification 1304 of the media data 1004) of the consensus.

The crowdsourcing may be used as an alternative or as a supplement to the capture server 1008A, 1008B. For example, the crowdsourcing may be used as the alternative to the capture server 1008A, 1008B in an area in which the capture server 1008A, 1008B has not been deployed. The crowdsourcing may be used as the supplement to the capture server 1008A, 1008B to detect a discrepancy between the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 determined using the capture server 1008A, 1008B and the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 using the crowdsourcing.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram depicting the content identification server 1006 configured to generate an annotated metadata 1504, according to one embodiment. FIG. 15 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the capture server 1008A, a characteristics database 1500, the characteristic 1502, and the annotated metadata 1504.

The characteristics database 1500 exists within the content identification server 1006 of FIG. 15. According to one embodiment, the characteristics database 1500 may be a structured collection of information about a number of potentially identifying features of the other media data 1904.

The characteristic 1502 exists between the content identification server 1006 and the capture server 1008A of FIG. 15. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to store the other media data 1904 captured at the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B in a non-volatile memory (e.g., a disk). The other media data 1904 captured at the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B may be retrieved from a buffer of a predetermined length in the capture server 1008A, 1008B. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to detect the characteristic 1502 of the other media data 1904 captured at the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may use a number of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) tuner cards and/or receive a video signal over IP using a number of Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG)-2 streams and/or MPEG4 including a number of data packets containing the closed captioning. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may also be configured to communicate the characteristic 1502 to the content identification server 1006.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the characteristic 1502 from the capture server 1008A, 1008B. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to identify the characteristic 1502 by comparing the characteristic 1502 to the characteristics database 1500.

The characteristics database 1500 may also exist in the capture server 1008A, 1008B. For example, when the characteristics database 1500 exists in the capture server 1008A, 1008B, the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to identify the characteristic 1502 by comparing the characteristic 1502 to the characteristics database 1500.

In another embodiment, the capture server 1008A, 1008B may communicate the other media data 1904 to the content identification server 1006. Thus, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to detect the characteristic 1502 of the other media data 1904.

The annotated metadata 1504 exists between the content identification server 1006 and the client device 100 as well as between the content identification server 1006 and the networked device 102 of FIG. 15. According to one embodiment, the annotated metadata 1504 may comprise a machine-readable information describing the characteristic 1502. The content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to generate the annotated metadata 1504 associated with the other media data 1904 captured at the media transmission node 1010A, 1010B. The characteristic 1502 may be annotated in the annotated metadata 1504. The annotated metadata 1504 may comprise the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308.

The content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may communicate the annotated metadata 1504 to the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices with the access to the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102. The networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or the number of devices may long poll and/or maintain a web socket open to the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B in a manner such that when the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B identifies the characteristic 1502, the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may communicate the annotated metadata 1504 to the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or the number of devices.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram depicting the content identification server 1006 configured to generate an identifying metadata 1602, according to one embodiment. FIG. 16 shows the client device 100, the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the capture server 1008A, the characteristics database 1500, an identifying characteristic 1600, and the identifying metadata 1602.

The identifying characteristic 1600 exists between the content identification server 1006 and the capture server 1008A of FIG. 16. According to one embodiment, the identifying characteristic 1600 may comprise the characteristic 1502 that may identify a recurring sequence 2102 (e.g., an advertisement). The capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to detect the identifying characteristic 1600 of the other media data 1904 associated with the recurring sequence 2102. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may also be configured to communicate the identifying characteristic 1600 to the content identification server 1006.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the identifying characteristic 1600 from the capture server 1008A, 1008B. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to identify the identifying characteristic 1600 by comparing the identifying characteristic 1600 to the characteristics database 1500. Alternatively, when the characteristics database 1500 exists in the capture server 1008A, 1008B, the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to identify the identifying characteristic 1600 by comparing the identifying characteristic 1600 to the characteristics database 1500.

In another embodiment, the capture server 1008A, 1008B may communicate the other media data 1904 to the content identification server 1006. Thus, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to detect the identifying characteristic 1600 of the other media data 1904.

The identifying metadata 1602 exists between the content identification server 1006 and the client device 100 as well as between the content identification server 1006 and the networked device 102 of FIG. 16. According to one embodiment, the identifying metadata 1602 may comprise a machine-readable information describing the identifying characteristic 1600. The content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to generate the identifying metadata 1602 associated with the recurring sequence 2102. The identifying characteristic 1600 may be annotated in the identifying metadata 1602. The identifying metadata 1602 may comprise the descriptive metadata 1206 and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308.

The content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may communicate the identifying metadata 1602 to the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices with the access to the identification data 304 of the networked device 102 and/or the sandbox-reachable service 114 of the networked device 102. The networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or the number of devices may long poll and/or maintain the web socket open to the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B in a manner such that when the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B identifies the identifying characteristic 1600, the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may communicate the identifying metadata 1602 to the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or the number of devices.

A video sequence, an audio sequence, and/or a subset of frames of the other media data 1904 that is stored by the capture server 1008A, 1008B may also enable a curation of the video sequence, the audio sequence, and/or the subset of frames by the user 902 of the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 without requiring the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 to directly capture the video sequence, the audio sequence, and/or the subset of frames of the media data 1004. When the user 902 initiates a request for the video sequence, the audio sequence, and/or the subset of frames, the capture server 1008A, 1008B may go backwards in time from the request to retrieve the other media data 1904 from the buffer.

The user 902 of the networked device 102 may initiate the request using the remote control. The remote control may be the client device 100 acting as the remote control. The request may specify a particular video sequence, a particular audio sequence, and/or a particular subset of frames based on a number of actions of the user 902. When the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 has been determined, the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be queried for the video sequence, the audio sequence, and/or the subset of frames corresponding to the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and the timestamp of the media data 1004. The capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the content identification server 1006 may communicate a media data set to the networked device 102.

The media data set may comprise the video sequence and/or the audio sequence. The media data set may comprise the subset of frames and/or a number of images derived from the subset of frames (e.g., a thumbnail). The media data set may comprise a number of actual images and/or a number of URLs referring to the number of images. The media data set may comprise a set of clips associated with a number of points in the media data 1004 that have been provided by a content provider. The media data set may comprise the particular video sequence, the particular audio sequence, and/or the particular subset of frames specified by the user 902. The media data set may be communicated to a predetermined location (e.g., an email address, a POST to a URL) by the capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the content identification server 1006.

The user 902 of the client device 100 may initiate the request using the sandboxed application 112 and/or an other application of the client device 100. The sandboxed application 112 and/or the other application may be paired with the networked device 102 (e.g., using the pairing server 300, using the extension 404 to the security sandbox 104, using a hidden signal of the networked device 102, using a bar code and/or a matrix code of the networked device 102). The client device 100 may obtain the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and the timestamp of the media data 1004 from the networked device 102. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may be queried for the video sequence, the audio sequence, and/or the subset of frames corresponding to the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and the timestamp of the media data 1004. The capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the content identification server 1006 may communicate the media data set to the client device 100 and/or to the predetermined location.

The networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 may implement any of a number of applications for handling the media data set. The networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 may display the media data set in a tile list, as a slide show, and/or in an other format for navigating the media data set. The user 902 may select a subset of the media data set in the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100. The networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 may communicate the subset of the media data set to a media data storage server that stores a number of pinned media data. The media data storage server may be separate from the capture server 1008A, 1008B, the content identification server 1006, the relevancy-matching server 200, the intermediary server 700, and/or the pairing server 300.

The user 902 may communicate the subset of the media data set to the media data storage server by posting (e.g., using a HTTP POST) the subset of the media data set, posting a list of the number of URLs of the subset of the media data set, using a plurality of HTTP POSTs of a number of individual URLs to the subset of the media data set, etc. The user 902 may post the number of individual URLs by encoding a number of media data URLs as a number of values in a number of query string key-value pairs in the number of individual URLs HTTP POSTed or passed via an HTTP GET. The user 902 may recall the subset of the media data set in the media data storage server by visiting a web site, running a desktop application that communicates with the media data storage server, etc.

The client device 100 may be automatically configured to act as the remote control. When the client device 100 and the networked device 102 reside behind a same public IP address, the client device 100 may discover the networked device 102 using the discovery service. The discovery service may communicate the model identifier and/or a remote control configuration identifier of the networked device 102 to the client device 100. When the client device 100 and the networked device 102 are paired using the hidden signal of the networked device 102, the client device 100 and the networked device 102 may not be required to reside on a same network. The hidden signal may be a covert channel embedded in an audio output, an image output, and/or a video output of the networked device 102. For example, the covert channel may be a video watermark identifier. The hidden signal may communicate the model identifier and/or the remote control configuration identifier to the client device 100. The model identifier and/or the remote control configuration identifier may be used to lookup a configuration information for an infrared component, a Bluetooth component, and/or an other remote control component. If the client device 100 maintains a local database of a number of remote control configurations (e.g., an IrDA profile), the client device 100 may not need to access the Internet.

The covert channel may be a low-bitrate communication in one-direction. The covert channel may use a relatively small amount of power. The covert channel may enable the communication session 116 between the sandboxed application 112 and the sandbox-reachable service 114 without opening the networked device 102 to a security risk. The covert channel may enable the client device 100 on the cellular network 710 to communicate with the networked device 102 over the Internet. The networked device 102 may be aware of (e.g., via an initial configuration, via a HDMI-CEC) the number of devices to which the networked device 102 is communicatively coupled. The covert channel and/or a serving device described by the covert channel may announce the number of devices to which the networked device 102 is communicatively coupled.

The covert channel may continuously announce the device identifier of the networked device 102 and/or the identification data 304. The sandboxed application 112 of the client device 100 and/or the other application of the client device 100 may process the audio output, the image output, and/or the video output, extract the covert channel, and use the device identifier and/or the identification data 304 to pair with the networked device 102 and/or a service of the networked device 102. The networked device 102 and the client device 100 may not reside on the same network. For example, the client device 100 may use a data service (e.g., a 3G service, a 4G service) and/or a text message service (e.g., a SMS service) while the networked device 102 may use a wired connection and/or a wireless connection (e.g., a WiFi® connection) to the Internet. The sandboxed application 112 and/or the other application of the client device 100 may use a relay service (e.g., via the pairing server 300, via the extension 404) to communicate with the networked device 102. To determine the number of devices announcing via the covert channel, the sandboxed application 112 may use the loopback interface to contact a service agent running on a well-known port on the client device 100 that is outside the security sandbox 104.

To increase a level of security, the networked device 102 may not use the covert channel to announce the GUID 704. The networked device 102 may generate an ephemeral (e.g., time varying) GUID to announce via the covert channel. The networked device 102 may communicate the ephemeral GUID and the GUID 704 to the relay service via an IP pathway. Alternatively, the relay service and the networked device 102 may establish a shared secret. The networked device 102 may generate the ephemeral GUID from the shared secret and the GUID 704. The relay service may then reconstruct the GUID 704.

The covert channel may be masked by the audio output, the image output, and/or the video output of the networked device 102. For example, if the networked device 102 has a microphone, the networked device 102 may mask the covert channel using an environmental noise. If the networked device 102 does not have a microphone, the networked device 102 may mask the covert channel using a broad spectrum of the audio output, the image output, and/or the video output to appear as a white noise. Thus, the networked device 102 that is otherwise powered off and the networked device 102 that does not naturally generate the audio output, the image output, and/or the video output may mask the covert channel.

When the client device 100 receives a broadcast identifier (e.g., the device identifier, the GUID 704, the ephemeral GUID), the client device 100 may contact the discovery service passing the broadcast identifier. The discovery service may be reachable by the client device 100. The client device 100 may not reside on the same network as the networked device 102 and/or the serving device. The client device 100 may not have a security access to the network of the serving device and/or the networked device 102. Thus, the discovery service may not reside on the same network as the serving device and/or the networked device 102.

The discovery service may be a distributed service running on a peer-to-peer substrate (e.g., a Distributed Hash Table) and/or a centralized discovery service for the Internet (e.g., via the pairing server 300). The discovery service may be used for a security overlay. The discovery service may be used to lookup a number of services made available by a discovered device (e.g., discovered by the covert channel). Thus, a very low bitrate may be used for the covert channel while a higher bitrate channel may be used for communicating a number of service details. However, the number of service details may also be communicated through the covert channel in a form of the model identifier, a description, etc. Communicating the number of service details in the covert channel may require a greater amount of resources from the low bitrate channel. Thus, the broadcast identifier may be communicated less frequently and/or the higher bitrate channel may become more intrusive and/or less covert.

The relay service may be used by the client device 100 to communicate with the number of services. The client device 100 may not have a network connectivity usually associated with the Internet. The client device 100 may use the text message service to send a number of messages to a 1-800 phone number and/or an equivalent number acting as a gateway to relay a number of calls to the number of services.

For example, a company may have a slideshow projector dedicated to running a slideshow application. The company may not wish to grant a network access to a mobile phone of a visitor, but the company may wish to allow the visitor to use the slideshow projector. The slideshow projector may use an audio covert channel to announce the broadcast identifier of the slideshow projector. The visitor may run the slideshow application on the mobile phone which detects the slideshow projector by listening on the microphone of the mobile phone. The mobile phone may not have a direct access to an IP network. The mobile phone may have the SMS service, the 3G service, the 4G service, an other packet service, and/or an other message service. The slideshow application of the mobile phone may send a command to run the slideshow application at a specified URL to the 1-800 phone number of the centralized discovery service. The centralized discovery service may forward the command over the Internet to the slideshow projector. The slideshow projector may download the slideshow from the specified URL. The slideshow application of the mobile phone may send a number of subsequent commands via the gateway to move to an other slide and/or otherwise control the slideshow. Thus, the slideshow may be displayed on a secure network of the company through a limited externally facing API. The slideshow application may be used as a trusted intermediary between the secure network and the mobile phone.

In another embodiment, the device identifier may be embedded in the bar code, the matrix code (e.g., a 2D bar code, an Aztec code, a QR code), and/or a similar pattern that is attached to the networked device 102 (e.g., as a sticker) and/or displayed through the networked device 102 (e.g., displayed on a television screen by going to a preferences channel). The client device 100 may take a picture of the bar code, the matrix code, and/or the similar pattern using a camera. The client device 100 may process the picture to extract the bar code, the matrix code, and/or the similar pattern. The device identifier obtained from extract the bar code, the matrix code, and/or the similar pattern may be used in a similar manner as the device identifier obtained from the covert channel. For example, the device identifier may enable the client device 100 to communicate with the networked device 102 via the SMS service, the 3G service, the 4G service, a WiFi® service, etc. The bar code may comprise a Universal Product Code (UPC). The UPC may provide the model identifier with which to select a remote control profile.

For example, the slideshow projector may bear a sticker with the bar code. Alternatively, the slideshow projector may project the bar code onto a surface (e.g., a screen, a wall). The mobile phone may take the picture of the bar code using the camera of the mobile phone. The device identifier of the slideshow projector may be used to automatically configure the mobile phone to act as the remote control for the slideshow projector.

A time estimation algorithm may also estimate a playback time within the content of the media data 1004 and/or the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904. When the audio output, the image output, and/or the video output of the networked device 102 may not be accessed, the covert channel may not be used to embed the broadcast identifier. However, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 along with an estimated playback time within the content of the media data 1004 may be used to disambiguate between the number of devices and/or the number of services known to the sandboxed application 112 and/or the other application of the client device 100. The number of devices and/or the number of services may be known via the discovery service by an account binding, a number of short codes, and/or an other binding mechanism that pairs and/or binds the sandboxed application 112 and/or the other application of the client device 100 to the number of devices and/or the number of services. The number of devices may have been previously paired (e.g., when the client device 100 of the user 902 was in a different network). The sandboxed application 112 and/or the other application of the client device 100 may access an audio input (e.g., a microphone), an image input, and/or a video input (e.g., a camera) to identify the content of the media data 1004.

If a known device is playing an identified content, a credibility may be added to a hypothesis that the identified content was generated by the known device. If the playback time for the content played by the known device playing the identified content also happens near the estimated time, the credibility of the hypothesis may be increased. If the known device also happens to be in the same network as the sandboxed application 112 and/or the other application of the client device 100, the credibility of the hypothesis may be further increased. A plurality of criteria (e.g., a nearness in a number of estimated playback times; a recency in time since the known device was last discovered; a nearness in a number of GPS coordinates and/or a number of Geo-IP coordinates of the known device, the sandboxed application 112, and/or the other application; a sharing of the same network as determined by a shared public IP; the sharing of the same network via an other discovery service) may be combined to increase the credibility of the hypothesis.

When the known device has been determined to be near the client device 100 with a sufficiently high confidence, the sandboxed application 112 and/or the other application may perform a bidirectional communication with the known device and/or a service of the known device. For example, the client device 100 may query the known device for the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 recently rendered by the known device.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the watermark data 1204, according to one embodiment. FIG. 17 shows the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the watermark data 1204, the identification 1304, and the watermark database 1700.

The watermark database 1700 exists within the content identification server 1006 of FIG. 17. According to one embodiment, the watermark database 1700 may be a structured collection of information comprising the known watermark data and the identification of the known watermark data.

For example, FIG. 17 illustrates the networked media device 102 communicating the watermark data 1204 of the media data 1004 to the content identification server 1006. The content identification server 1006 then compares the watermark data 1204 to the known watermark data in the watermark database 1700 and communicates the identification of the known watermark data when the watermark data 1204 is identical to the known watermark data.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the identifying information 1208, according to one embodiment. FIG. 18 shows the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the capture server 1008A, the identifying information 1208, the identification 1304, the other electronic program guide 1100, and the other identifying information 1800.

For example, FIG. 18 illustrates the networked device 102 communicating the identifying information 1208 that identifies the channel 2100 of the networked device 102 to the content identification server 1006. The capture server 1008A monitoring the channel 2100 accesses the other electronic program guide 1100 and determines the identification 1304 of the other media data 1904 scheduled for the channel 2100. The capture server 1008A then communicates the other identifying information 1800 that identifies the content of the other media data 1904 to the content identification server 1006. The content identification server 1006 processes the other identifying information 1800 and associates the other identifying information 1800 with the identification 1304 of the other media data 1904. The content identification server 1006 then associates the identification 1304 with the media data 1004 and communicates the identification 1304 to the networked device 102.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the fingerprint data 1202 and the other fingerprint data 1906, according to one embodiment. FIG. 19 shows the networked device 102, the capture server 1008A, the media transmission node 1010A, the content identification server 1006, the fingerprint data 1202, the fingerprint database 1900, the other tuner 1902, the other media data 1904, the other fingerprint data 1906, and the other electronic program guide 1100.

The other tuner 1902 exists between the capture server 1008A and the media transmission node 1010A of FIG. 19. According to one embodiment, the other tuner 1902 and/or the tuner 2300 may be a television tuner, a radio tuner, and/or an other means of selecting a media channel.

For example, FIG. 19 illustrates an embodiment in which the networked device 102 communicates the fingerprint data 1202 to the content identification server 1006, and the capture server 1008A communicates the other fingerprint data 1906 to the content identification server 1006. The capture server 1008A monitors the other media data 1904 of the channel 2100 through the other tuner 1902 at the media transmission node 1010A. Thus, the capture server 1008A also communicates the channel 2100 to the content identification server 1006. The content identification server 1006 processes the channel 2100 from the capture server 1008A and accesses the other electronic program guide 1100 to obtain the identification 1304 of the other media data 1904. The content identification server 1006 then associates the identification 1304 of the other media data 1904 with the other fingerprint data 1906. If the fingerprint data 1202 matches the other fingerprint data 1906, the content identification server 1006 also associates the identification 1304 of the other media data 1904 with the fingerprint data 1202 and communicates the identification 1304 to the networked device 102.

The fingerprint database 1900 exists within the content identification server 1006 of FIG. 19. According to one embodiment, the fingerprint database 1900 may be a structured collection of information comprising the fingerprint data 1202, the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602, the timestamp, the other timestamp, the device identifier, the other device identifier, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, the identification 1304 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904, the provisional identification 2400, and/or the other provisional identification 2400.

The content identification server 1006 may store the fingerprint data 1202 and/or the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 in the fingerprint database 1900. The fingerprint database 1900 may be updated at any time with the fingerprint data 1202, the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602, the timestamp, the other timestamp, the device identifier, the other device identifier, the identification 1304 of the media data 1004, the identification 1304 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904, the provisional identification 2400, and/or the other provisional identification 2400. The fingerprint database 1900 may be updated in a manner such that, in the future, the content identification server 1006 may process the fingerprint data 1202 and check the fingerprint database 1900 for a match 2002 prior to processing the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 from the capture server 1008A, 1008B and/or the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to store the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 in the fingerprint database 1900. Further, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to process the fingerprint data 1202 of the media data 1004 from the networked device 102, the client device 100, and/or any of the number of devices that previously and/or currently shared the network with the networked device 102.

The content identification server 1006 may compare the fingerprint data 1202 to the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602. The other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 may exist in the fingerprint database 1900. Further, the content identification server 1006 may automatically determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 by associating the fingerprint data 1202 with the identification 1304 and/or the provisional identification 2400 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 associated with the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 that matches the fingerprint data 1202.

FIG. 20 is a table 2050 depicting a determination of the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 by comparing the fingerprint data sequence 2000 to the fingerprint database 1900, according to one embodiment. FIG. 20 shows the fingerprint data sequence 2000, the fingerprint database 1900, the match 2002, and the table 2050.

The fingerprint data sequence 2000 exists as a column of the table 2050 of FIG. 20. According to one embodiment, the fingerprint data sequence 2000 and/or the other fingerprint data sequence may be a series of consecutive fingerprint data. A probability of a false positive (e.g., when the fingerprint data 1202 and the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 match while the media data 1004 and the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 do not match) using a single fingerprint data may be (1−p[correct match]). However, the probability of the false positive using the fingerprint data sequence 2000 may be (1−p[correct match])^(r) where r=a length of the fingerprint data sequence 2000. Thus, the confidence score of the match 2002 may be based on the length of a matching fingerprint data sequence.

Thus, the probability of the false positive may be reduced to a negligible level by comparing the fingerprint data sequence 2000 of the media data 1004 to the other fingerprint data sequence. The content identification server 1006 may be configured to compare the fingerprint data sequence 2000 of the media data 1004 to the other fingerprint data sequence. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to associate the fingerprint data sequence 2000 with the identification 1304 and/or the provisional identification 2400 of the other media data 1108, 1112, 1904 associated with the other fingerprint data sequence when a predetermined number of sequential fingerprint data of the fingerprint data sequence 2000 matches the predetermined number of sequential fingerprint data of the other fingerprint data sequence.

To account for a number of missing fingerprint data in the fingerprint data sequence 2000 and/or the other fingerprint data sequence, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to apply an algorithm comprising a sliding window algorithm. For example, the fingerprint database 1900 may store the other fingerprint data sequence 2000 “A-B-C-D.” The content identification server 1006 may compare the other fingerprint data sequence to the fingerprint data sequence 2000 “A-B-_-D” where “_” denotes a missing fingerprint data (e.g., the fingerprint data 1202 at a time between the timestamp for the fingerprint data 1202 “B” and the timestamp for the fingerprint data 1202 “D”). The sliding window algorithm may require two matching fingerprint data before a particular fingerprint data and one matching fingerprint data after the particular fingerprint data in order to include the fingerprint data 1202 in the fingerprint data sequence 2000. Thus, the sliding window algorithm may compare the fingerprint data sequence 2000 “A-B-_-D” to the other fingerprint data sequence “A-B-C-D” and include “C” in the fingerprint data sequence 2000 “A-B-_-D.” As a result of the sliding window algorithm, there may be four matching sequential fingerprint data.

The match 2002 exists in a column of table 2050 of FIG. 20. According to one embodiment, the match 2002 may be a condition in which the fingerprint data sequence 2000 sufficiently corresponds to the other fingerprint data sequence. For example, the match 2002 in FIG. 20 may be declared when three sequential fingerprint data match.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to automatically determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 in a manner such that the content identification server 1006 is configured to initiate a number of comparisons between the fingerprint data 1202 and the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602. The number of comparisons may be separated by a predetermined time interval. The content identification server 1006 may process the fingerprint data 1202 prior to processing the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602. Alternatively, the content identification server 1006 may process the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 prior to processing the fingerprint data 1202. Yet another alternative may entail the content identification server 1006 processing the fingerprint data 1202 and the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 simultaneously. Thus, the number of comparisons may be initiated until a matching fingerprint data sequence is found.

For example, in FIG. 20, the other fingerprint data sequence “751-242-369-520-818” already exists in the fingerprint database 1900 when the content identification server 1006 processes the fingerprint data sequence 2000 “751-242-369-520-818.” Thus, the content identification server 1006 immediately compares the fingerprint data sequence 2000 “751-242-369-520-818” to the other fingerprint data sequence “751-242-369-520-818.” However, the content identification server 1006 processes the fingerprint data sequence 2000 “314-275-860-926-437” prior to the processing of the matching fingerprint data sequence. Thus, the content identification server 1006 initiates four comparisons until the match 2002 is declared when the predetermined number of three sequential fingerprint data of “314-275-860” is found.

FIG. 21 is a table 2150 depicting a determination of the recurring sequence 2102, according to one embodiment. FIG. 21 shows the channel 2100, the fingerprint data sequence 2000, the recurring sequence 2102, the table 2150, and the fingerprint database 1900.

The channel 2100 exists in a column of the table 2150 of FIG. 21. According to one embodiment, the channel 2100 may be an information communication pathway. For example, the channel 2100 may correspond to a radio broadcasting frequency, a television broadcasting frequency, and/or an Internet media channel.

The recurring sequence 2102 exists in a column of the table 2150 of FIG. 21. The content identification server 1006 may be configured to determine that a portion of the fingerprint data sequence 2000 and/or of the other fingerprint data sequence is a recurring sequence 2102 when the portion is detected a predetermined number of times across a plurality of channels 2100 and/or at a plurality of different times. Additionally, the content identification server 1006 may be configured to update the fingerprint database 1900 with the recurring sequence 2102. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to apply the algorithm comprising the sliding window algorithm to account for the number of missing fingerprint data in the recurring sequence 2102.

Further, the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to assign a unique identifier to the recurring sequence 2102. Still further, the content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to add the unique identifier of the recurring sequence 2102 to a recurring sequence metadata database along with a recurring sequence metadata. The content identification server 1006 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may be configured to generate the recurring sequence metadata. The recurring sequence metadata may be a machine-readable information describing the recurring sequence 2102. The recurring sequence metadata may comprise the identifying metadata 1602, the descriptive metadata 1206, and/or the other descriptive metadata 2308.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram of a system of determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 involving the descriptive metadata 1206 and the other watermark data 2200, according to one embodiment. FIG. 22 shows the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the capture server 1008A, the media transmission node 1010A, the descriptive metadata 1206, the identification 1304, the other tuner 1902, the watermark database 1700, and the other watermark data 2200.

FIG. 22 illustrates the networked device 102 communicating the descriptive metadata 1206 identifying the channel 2100 of the networked device 102 to the content identification server 1006. The capture server 1008A at the media transmission node 1010A monitors the channel 2100 through the other tuner 1902 and communicates the other watermark data 2200 to the content identification server 1006. The content identification server 1006 then compares the other watermark data 2200 to the known watermark data in the watermark database 1700 and communicates the identification of the known watermark data to the networked device 102.

However, the CID data 1200, 1300 and/or the other CID data 1302, 1306, 1402, 1404 may be subject to a number of systematic error sources. For example, the fingerprint data 1202 may not sufficiently correspond to the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 to declare the match 2002 due to the number of systematic error sources. The number of systematic error sources may comprise a pseudostatic error and/or a random error. The pseudostatic error may be a number of changes applied to the media data 1004 in a media data pipeline (e.g., an audio pipeline, a video pipeline) and/or arriving to the media data pipeline that is unlikely to change unless the user changes a number of settings and/or a number of media data sources (e.g., an audio source, a video source). The random error may be a random transmission noise (e.g., a compression noise, a blocking artifact, a corrupted frame). The random error may be addressed by a robust mechanism for computing the CID data 1200, 1300 and/or the other CID data 1302, 1306, 1402, 1404 (e.g., the sliding window algorithm, an adaptive sampling algorithm).

The pseudostatic error may comprise a user setting (e.g., a brightness modification, a contrast modification, a hue modification, an other color space modification, a display scaling modification, and/or an aspect ratio modification). The user setting may be addressed by capturing the media data 1004 prior to an application of the user setting (e.g., at the frame buffer). However, capturing the media data 1004 prior to the application of the user setting may not be possible when the user setting is applied before the media data 1004 reaches the CID service 1000, 1002. For example, the display scaling modification may be applied in a set-top box prior to a transmission of the media data 1004 to the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102.

The pseudostatic error may also comprise an aspect ratio transformation (e.g., a black bar, a display stretching, a display scaling, and/or a display cropping). For example, the aspect ratio transformation may result in the fingerprint data 1202 of the networked device 102 that insufficiently corresponds to the other fingerprint data 1906 of the capture server 1008A, 1008B. The aspect ratio transformation may be addressed by a reverse transformation (e.g., an adjustment to the media data 1004 that conforms the media data 1004 to the other media data 1904) in the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100 that restores the media data 1004 to a state in which the media data 1004 existed prior to the aspect ratio transformation. The display cropping may also be addressed by the adaptive sampling algorithm that focuses on a dynamic region of pixel change. Thus, the adaptive sampling algorithm may ignore an edge region of a display.

The adaptive sampling algorithm may sample a number of different regions of the display to increase a probability of selecting a region with a high temporal activity. A number of regions of interest may be sampled in a single frame buffer to increase a generation rate of a unique fingerprint data as compared to the generation rate when a single region is sampled in the single frame buffer. To ensure that the fingerprint data 1202 matches the other fingerprint data 1906, the adaptive sampling algorithm may be synchronized between the capture server 1008A, 1008B and the networked device 102 and/or the client device 100.

The display scaling may also be addressed by sampling at a variable rate across a number of frame data in a number of different resolutions. For example, the fingerprint data 1202 generated by sampling every third pixel in a 300×300 resolution may match the fingerprint data 1202 generated by sampling every second pixel in a 200×200 resolution.

The display scaling may be performed by an external device (e.g., a set-top box, a game console) to a display device (e.g., a television) in which the CID service exists. Thus, the CID service 1000, 1002 may be unaware of the display scaling. The reverse transformation may be algorithmically applied to calibrate the fingerprint data 1202 with the other fingerprint data 1906.

The reverse transformation may comprise a slow perturbation to a subset (e.g., one, some, and/or all) of the number of regions of interest after the identification 1304 is determined. The display scaling may affect a central region of the display less than the edge region of the display. Thus, the fingerprint data 1202 of the central region may match the other fingerprint data 1906, and the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 may be determined. A percentage of display scaling correction may then be applied to the subset of the number of regions of interest. A match rate may be determined by measuring a percentage of the fingerprint data 1202 that matches the other fingerprint data 1906 associated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004. The display scaling correction may then be adjusted in a manner such that the match rate is maximized. To ensure a sufficient number of samples to adequately measure the match rate, a sufficient number of fingerprint data may be gathered such that a change in the confidence score is less than an estimated change in the match rate. Thus, a large change in the estimated change may require a smaller number of samples to determine whether the display scaling correction maximizes the match rate. The slow perturbation may constantly seek to maximize the match rate.

If the match rate is sufficiently greater than zero before the identification 1304 is determined, the slow perturbation may still be applied. However, if the match rate is zero and/or nearly zero before the identification 1304 is determined, the display scaling correction may be slowly oscillated across a range for a subset of the number of regions of interest until a number of matches 2002 occur. Then, the slow perturbation may be applied.

Further, the display scaling may be addressed by a forward transformation (e.g., an adjustment to the other media data 1904 that conforms the other media data 1904 to the media data 1004) that calibrates the other fingerprint data 1906 with the fingerprint data 1202. The forward transformation may be applied to a subset of a number of regions captured by the capture server 1008A, 1008B. A forward transformed fingerprint data may be added to the fingerprint database 1900 and marked according to an amount of the display scaling correction applied. The forward transformation may be applied in a manner such that a total number of fingerprints in the fingerprint database 1900 is not appreciably increased. The capture server 1008A, 1008B may periodically (e.g., at a time interval that is significantly larger than a sampling time interval for generating a number of individual fingerprint data) generate a number of additional fingerprints for the subset of the number of regions subjected to a number of amounts of the display scaling correction. If the display scaling correction is insufficient to change a particular fingerprint from an uncorrected value, then the particular fingerprint may not be added to the fingerprint database 1900.

When the fingerprint data 1202 matches the forward transformed fingerprint data, the slow perturbation may be used by the CID service 1002 to refine the display scaling correction. If a plurality of the fingerprint data 1202 match a plurality of the forward transformed fingerprint data, the CID service 1002 may employ the slow perturbation based on an average of the number of amounts of the display scaling correction.

Further, the pseudostatic error may comprise a color space change and/or a pixel format change. The CID service 1002 may normalize a video portion of the media data 1004 to a single color space and/or a single pixel format. The color space change and the pixel format change may be addressed by using a hybrid transformation (e.g., a combination of a number of forward transformations and a number of reverse transformations).

The hybrid transformation may be used to address the pseudostatic error. The hybrid transformation may employ the reverse transformation to normalize the number of regions of the media data 1004 captured from the frame buffer to conform with the other media data 1904. The hybrid transformation may employ the forward transformation to reproduce a normalization error. The normalization error may be a loss of a portion of the media data 1004 as a result of the reverse transformation. The hybrid transformation may minimize a number of problems introduced by using the forward transformation and/or the reverse transformation. For example, the forward transformation may require a cooperative device manufacturer and/or a combinatoric explosion in the number of fingerprints to store. The reverse transformation may be lossy, may increase a processor utilization, may decrease the match rate, may result in a slower identification time, etc.

An input source (e.g., a DVD player, a game console, a cable set-top box, a satellite set-top box) may exhibit a number of different types of the pseudostatic error and/or a number of varying degrees of the pseudostatic error. Thus, the networked device 102 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may generate and/or maintain a profile of the pseudostatic error associated with the input source. The profile may be associated with a particular input (e.g., HDMI 1) used by the input source. The networked device 102 and/or the capture server 1008A, 1008B may notify the CID service 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 of the particular input being used. The CID service 1002 and/or the other CID service 1104, 1110 may then reference the profile and adjust accordingly.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of the content identification server 1006 gathering the CID data 1200 and a plurality of other CID data 1402, 1404, according to one embodiment. FIG. 23 shows the networked device 102, the content identification server 1006, the other electronic program guide 1100, the fingerprint data 1202, the identifying information 1208, the plurality of other networked devices 1400A, 1400B, the fingerprint database 1900, the tuner 2300, a plurality of other fingerprint data 2302, 2306, the other watermark data 2304, and an other descriptive metadata 2308.

FIG. 23 illustrates the CID service 1002 of the networked device 102 retrieving the channel number of the networked device 102 from the tuner 2300 to generate the identifying information 1208. The networked device 102 may communicate the CID data 1200 comprising the fingerprint data 1202 of the media data 1004 along with the identifying information 1208 of the media data 1004 to the content identification server 1006. The content identification server 1006 may then process the CID data 1200 and access the other electronic program guide 1100 to retrieve the content identifying information associated with the channel number. The content identification server 1006 may also associate the content identifying information with the provisional identification 2400 of the media data 1004.

The other networked device 1400A may comprise the number of other client devices 1102. The other CID service 1104 may communicate the other CID data 1402 comprising the other fingerprint data 2302 of the number of other media data 1108 along with the number of other watermark data 2304 of the number of other media data 1108 to the content identification server 1006. The content identification server 1006 may process the other CID data 1402 and compare the other watermark data 2304 to the known watermark data in the watermark database 1700. If the other watermark data 2304 is identical to the known watermark data, the content identification server 1006 may associate the identification of the known watermark data with the number of other provisional identifications 2400 of the other media data 1108.

The other networked device 1400B may comprise the number of other networked media devices 1106B. The other CID service 1110 may communicate the other CID data 1404 comprising the other fingerprint data 2306 of the number of other media data 1112 along with the number of other descriptive metadata 2308 of the number of other media data 1112 to the content identification server 1006. The number of other descriptive metadata 2308 may comprise the callsign of the channel number of the networked device. The content identification server 1006 may process the other CID data 1404 and access the other electronic program guide 1100 to retrieve a number of content identifying information associated with the callsign. The content identification server 1006 may also associate the number of content identifying information with the number of other provisional identifications 2400 of the number of other media data 1112.

The content identification server 1006 may process the CID data 1200 and the plurality of other CID data 1402, 1404. The content identification server 1006 may store the fingerprint data 1202 and/or the plurality of other fingerprint data 2302, 2306 in the fingerprint database 1900. The content identification server 1006 may compare the fingerprint data 1202 and/or the plurality of other fingerprint data 2302, 2306 to the fingerprint database 1900. The content identification server 1006 may compare the fingerprint data 1202 to the plurality of other fingerprint data 2302, 2306. If the match 2002 exists among the fingerprint data 1202 and the plurality of other fingerprint data 2302, 2306, the content identification server 1006 may aggregate the provisional identification 2400 and the number of other provisional identifications 2400.

The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to determine the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 through the crowdsourcing. The crowdsourcing may be based on the consensus of the provisional identification 2400 and the number of other provisional identifications 2400. The consensus may be algorithmically determined based on the number of criteria comprising the predetermined percentage of the predetermined number of samples, the reliability of the provisional identification 2400, and/or the other factor affecting the confidence score of the consensus. For example, the number of other watermark data 2200, 2304 may be given more weight than the identifying information 1208 retrieved from the other electronic program guide 1100.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to update the fingerprint database 1900 with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 determined using the crowdsourcing. For example, the fingerprint database 1900 may be updated with the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 determined using the crowdsourcing when the crowdsourcing is used as the alternative to the capture server 1008A, 1008B or when the consensus has a higher confidence score than the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 determined using the capture server 1008A, 1008B. The content identification server 1006 may then use the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 determined using the crowdsourcing to automatically determine the identification 1304 of the fingerprint data 1202 and/or the other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 that is unaccompanied by the provisional identification 2400 and/or the other provisional identification 2400.

FIG. 24 is a table view of the content identification server 1006 gathering the provisional identification 2400 of the media data 1004 and the number of other provisional identifications 2400 of the number of other media data 1108, 1112, according to one embodiment. FIG. 24 shows the fingerprint data sequence 2000, the fingerprint database 1900, the provisional identification 2400, and the table 2450.

The provisional identification 2400 exists as a column of the table 2450 of FIG. 24. According to one embodiment, the provisional identification 2400 and/or the number of other provisional identifications 2400 may comprise the watermark data 1204, the number of other watermark data 2200, 2304, the descriptive metadata 1206, the number of other descriptive metadata 2308, the identifying information 1208, and/or the number of other identifying information 1800. The provisional identification 2400 may identify the content of the media data 1004 and/or the number of other media data 1108, 1112 in a manner such that the provisional identification 2400 is less authoritative than the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 and/or of the number of other media data 1108, 1112, 1904. The provisional identification 2400 may also identify the channel 2100 of the networked device 102 and/or the number of other networked media devices 1106A, 1106B.

FIG. 25 is a table view of the content identification server 1006 determining the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 based on the consensus, according to one embodiment. FIG. 25 shows the identification 1304, the fingerprint data sequence 2000, the fingerprint database 1900, the provisional identification 2400, and the table 2550.

The content identification server 1006 may aggregate the provisional identification 2400 of the fingerprint data 1202 with the number of other provisional identifications 2400 associated with the plurality of other fingerprint data 1906, 2302, 2306, 2602 that match the fingerprint data 1202. The content identification server 1006 may also be configured to determine the identification 1304 based on a majority of the provisional identification 2400 and/or the number of other provisional identifications 2400. The content identification server 1006 may require at least two other provisional identifications 2400 in addition to the provisional identification 2400 in order to form the consensus. The identification 1304 may be determined in a manner such that the provisional identification 2400 and/or the number of other provisional identifications 2400 are overridden by the consensus.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of the content identification server 1006 using the identification 1304 of the media data 1004 to identify the other fingerprint data 2602, according to one embodiment. FIG. 26 shows the content identification server 1006, the other electronic program guide 1100, the identification 1304, the other networked device 2600, the fingerprint database 1900, and the other fingerprint data 2602.

The content identification server 1006 may be configured to update the fingerprint database 1900 with the identification 1304 formulated by the consensus. Subsequently, the identification 1304 may be used to identify the other fingerprint data 2602 unaccompanied by the provisional identification 2400 and/or the number of other provisional identifications 2400.

For example, Jane may visit an auction website on her smartphone while she watches her television. When an advertisement airs on the television, the auction website displays matching items that are being auctioned. No installation, configuration, login, and/or user registration was required.

FIG. 27 shows a content matching system 2700, according to one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, content matching system 2700 may include a first server 2702, a second server 2704 and an attribution server 2706 communicatively coupled to first server 2702 and second server 2704 through a computer network 2708 (e.g., a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), Internet). In one or more embodiments, first server 2702 may be associated with an advertisement (ad) data provider 2752 (e.g., through computer network 2708) and second server 2704 may be associated with a content identification (ID) data provider 2772 (e.g., also through computer network 2708). In some embodiments, one or more of first server 2702, second server 2704 and attribution server 2706 may be part of the same server.

In one or more embodiments, content matching system 2700 may include a first device 2740 configured to initiate a request 2742 for a first content 2743 thereon. In one or more embodiments, first device 2740 may be a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook, a game console, a television (TV), a set-top box, a radio, a digital picture frame, connected glasses, a connected watch, a wearable computer, a projection-based computer and/or a stereo system. In one or more embodiments, first content 2743 may include an advertisement 2744, a promotion 2745 and/or a piece of content 2746.

In one or more embodiments, first content 2743 may be made available through first server 2702; for example, first content 2743 may be broadcast to first device 2740, streamed therefrom, downloaded thereto or executed thereon. In one or more embodiments, first device 2740 may be communicatively coupled to first server 2702 through computer network 2708.

In one or more embodiments, in response to request 2742, first server 2702 may serve first content 2743 to first device 2740. In one or more embodiments, attribution server 2706 may be configured to access first data 2794 related to renderings of first content 2743 logged at first server 2702. In one embodiment, first data 2794 may be part of a content view log 2796 associated with first server 2702; in certain embodiments, content view log 2796 may be part of first server 2702; in certain other embodiments, content view log 2796 may be external to first server 2702 but communicatively coupled thereto (e.g., through computer network 2708).

For example, first device 2740 may be rendering first content 2743 thereon. Alternately, request 2742 may be transmitted through computer network 2708 to first server 2702 for rendering first content 2743 on first device 2740. Similarly, one or more other device(s) (not shown) may also render first content 2743 thereon or transmit requests (e.g., analogous to request 2742) therefor to first server 2702. FIG. 27 shows content view log 2796 including first data 2794 as part of first server 2702. Based on accessing first data 2794, attribution server 2706 may be configured to determine that one or more request(s) 2797 _(1-N) including request 2742 is received through computer network 2708 from first device 2740 (or, one or more other device(s)).

It should be noted that first data 2794/content view log 2796 may include information about the one or more request(s) 2797 _(1-N) including request 2742, time stamps of the one or more request(s) 2797 _(1-N) including request 2742, time stamps of the viewing of first content 2743 on first device 2740 and the one or more other device(s), and so on. Other forms of metadata logged as part of first data 2794/content view log 2796 are within the scope of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein. In one or more embodiments, based on accessing first data 2794/content view log 2796, attribution server 2706 may determine that first device 2740 has rendered or is rendering first content 2743 thereon. For example, the time stamp of request 2742 may enable attribution server 2706 to determine that first content 2743 was played in a temporal past (e.g., say 2 hours prior to access of first data 2794/content view log 2796); in another example, the time stamp of request 2742 and metadata such as a duration of length of first content 2743 may enable attribution server 2706 to determine that first content 2743 is currently being rendered on first device 2740.

In one or more embodiments, ad data provider 2752 may generate content view log 2796 through first server 2702 following receipt of the one or more request(s) 2497 _(1-N) including request 2742 through computer network 2708 and/or appropriate interpretation of viewing instances of first content 2743 on first device 2740 (and, optionally, one or more other device(s)). In one or more embodiments, similarly, attribution server 2706 may determine rendering of a second content 2773 on a second device 2750 based on accessing second data 2774 logged at second server 2704. Again, in one or more embodiments, second device 2750 may be communicatively coupled to second server 2704 through computer network 2708.

In one embodiment, second data 2774 may, again, be part of content identifying data 2776 associated with second server 2704; in certain embodiments, content identifying data 2776 may be external to second server 2704 but communicatively coupled thereto (e.g., through computer network 2708). For example, second device 2750 may be rendering second content 2773 thereon. Alternately, another request 2775 may be transmitted through computer network 2708 to second server 2704 for rendering second content 2773 on second device 2750. Similarly, one or more other device(s) (not shown) may also render second content 2773 thereon or transmit requests (e.g., analogous to another request 2775) therefor to second server 2704. FIG. 27 shows content identifying data 2776 including second data 2774 as part of second server 2704. Based on accessing second data 2774, attribution server 2706 may be configured to determine that one or more request(s) (not shown; e.g., including another request 2775) for second content 2773 is received through computer network 2708 from second device 2750 (or, one or more other device(s)).

In one or more embodiments, second device 2750, like first device 2740, may be a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a notebook, a game console, a TV, a set-top box, a radio, a digital picture frame, connected glasses, a connected watch, a wearable computer, a projection-based computer and/or a stereo system. In one or more embodiments, second content 2773 may include a TV show 2781, a movie 2782, a TV channel content 2783, a radio program 2784, a game 2785 and/or another piece of content 2786.

In one or more embodiments, second content 2773 may be made available through second server 2704; for example, second content 2773 may be broadcast to second device 2750, streamed therefrom, downloaded thereto or executed thereon. In one or more embodiments, analogous to first server 2702, second server 2704 may serve second content 2773 to second device 2750 in response to another request 2775. In one or more embodiments, attribution server 2706 may be configured to access second data 2774 related to renderings of second content 2773 logged at second server 2704. In one embodiment, second data 2774 may be part of content identifying data 2776 associated with second server 2704; in certain embodiments, content identifying data 2776 may be part of second server 2704; in certain other embodiments, content identifying data 2776 may be external to second server 2704 but communicatively coupled thereto (e.g., through computer network 2708).

Again, for example, second device 2750 may be rendering second content 2773 thereon. Alternately, another request 2775 may be transmitted through computer network 2708 for second content 2773 from second device 2750. Similarly, one or more other device(s) (not shown) may also render second content 2773 thereon or transmit requests (e.g., analogous to another request 2775) therefor to second server 2704. FIG. 27 shows content identifying data 2776 including second data 2774 as part of second server 2704. Based on accessing second data 2774, attribution server 2706 may be configured to determine that one or more request(s) including another request 2775 is received through computer network 2708 from second device 2750.

Again, it should be noted that second data 2774/content identifying data 2776 may include information about the one or more request(s) including another request 2775, time stamps of the one or more request(s) including another request 2775, time stamps of the viewing of second content 2773 on second device 2750 (and, optionally, one or more other device(s)) and so on. Other forms of metadata logged as part of second data 2774/content identifying data 2776 are within the scope of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein. Further, it should be noted that, in one or more other embodiments, first server 2702/second server 2704 may include content view log 2796/content identifying data 2776 and first content 2743/second content 2773 may be served externally thereto (e.g., accessible through computer network 2708).

In one or more embodiments, based on accessing second data 2774/content identifying data 2776, attribution server 2706 may determine that second device 2750 has rendered or is rendering second content 2773 thereon. For example, the time stamp of another request 2775 may enable attribution server 2706 to determine that second content 2773 was played in a temporal past (e.g., say 1 hour prior to access of second data 2774/content identifying data 2776); in another example, the time stamp of another request 2775 and metadata such as a duration of length of second content 2773 may enable attribution server 2706 to determine that second content 2773 is currently being rendered on second device 2750.

In one or more embodiments, content ID data provider 2772 may generate content identifying data 2776 through second server 2704 following receipt of the one or more request(s) including another request 2775 through computer network 2708 and/or appropriate interpretation of viewing instances of second content 2773 on second device 2750 (and, optionally, one or more other device(s)).

To contextualize elements of FIG. 27 through a descriptive scenario, assume that a user Joe picks up his tablet (example first device 2740) and visits a website http://www.foo.com that includes an advertisement (example advertisement 2744, which is an example of first content 2743) for a TV show such as “The Crazy Good Show” (example second content 2773). As seen above, first content 2743 may be a piece of content that is in some way related with second content 2773. In the aforementioned example, the advertisement may include a reference such as an image (IMG) tag (e.g., a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) IMG tag) linking back to http://www.example.com.

Putting an image on a web page for purposes of tracking may be known as “dropping a pixel.” Here, http://www.example.com may log that Joe saw the advertisement. Thus, the server that hosts http://www.example.com may be regarded as first server 2702. When Joe watches “The Crazy Good Show” on his TV (example second device 2750), a content identification system, which may make use of Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology and which may include portions implemented within the TV and portions implemented on a server, such as second server 2704, identifies the show. Second server 2704 logs information related to Joe watching “The Crazy Good Show” either during the viewing or after the viewing to a server communicatively coupled thereto through a computer network (e.g., Internet—example computer network 2708).

Now, attribution server 2706 may pair the content ID log entry in second server 2704 related to Joe watching ‘The Crazy Good Show’ with the log entry for the pixel drop on the advertisement (e.g., on first server 2702) to verify Joe's tuning-in to “The Crazy Good Show.”

“Dropping a pixel” discussed above may imply introducing an element on a webpage that results in a request (e.g., request 2742, request 2775; an example may be a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request) being automatically generated; information associated therewith can be logged along with at least the public IP address of the related client device. The request may also include cookies previously dropped by the domain appearing in a URL triggering the request. The pixel may literally be an IMG tag, a SCRIPT tag, a FRAME tag, an IFRAME tag, an EMBED tag and/or any other tag that results in the generation of the request when the web page is rendered. A script in a webpage may also use an Extensible Markup Language (XML) HTTP request to generate an HTTP request intended for logging, where the logging is used in the same manner as “dropping a pixel.”

In one or more embodiments, attribution server 2706 (e.g., may also be external to first server 2702 and second server 2704) may, thus, determine that first content 2743 and second content 2773 are related based on identifiers thereof extracted from first data 2794 and second data 2774. For example, first data 2794 and/or second data 2774 may include a title of first content 2743/second content 2773, an audio fingerprint thereof, a text fingerprint thereof and/or a video fingerprint thereof to be used as the aforementioned identifiers. In one or more embodiments, the identifier(s) may be generated during rendering of first content 2743/second content 2773 on first device 2740/second device 2750 or following the rendering. In the abovementioned example, the content ID log entry (say, part of second data 2774/content identifying data 2776) and/or the log entry for the pixel drop on the advertisement (say, part of first data 2794/content view log 2796) may serve as identifier(s) of the relation(s) between first content 2743 and second content 2773.

FIG. 28 illustrates the abovementioned example. Here, the identifier(s) (2802, 2804) are shown as stored in memories (2844, 2854) of first server 2702/second server 2704. FIG. 28 shows first server 2702 as including a processor 2842 communicatively coupled to memory 2844 and second server 2704 as including a processor 2852 communicatively coupled to memory 2854. The identifier(s) (2802, 2804) may be stored as part of first data 2794/content view log 2796 and second data 2774/content identifying data 2776. In one embodiment, it should be noted that second content 2773 may be identified at least in part by or through second device 2750. For example, a TiVo ID, a TMS ID or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) may be utilized to identify second content 2773 (e.g., a type of content consumed on second device 2750, date of consumption thereof and/or time of consumption thereof); the aforementioned identification may, in one embodiment, be done by second device 2750 (e.g., utilizing the ACR (e.g., audio or video ACR) implemented therein). It should be noted that the aforementioned identification(s) may be utilized as identifier(s) 2804.

It should be noted that other forms of obtaining the identifier(s) 2804 are within the scope of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein. For example, the identifier(s) 2804 may be obtained through audio or video watermarking, metadata embedded in second content 2773 or channel change data correlated against a TV schedule. FIG. 29 shows the abovementioned procurement of identifier(s) 2804. As seen in FIG. 29, identifier(s) 2804 may be procured through audio ACR 2902, video ACR 2904, audio watermarks 2906, video watermarks 2908, embedded metadata 2910 and channel change data 2912. Channel change data 2912 may be correlated against TV schedule 2914 (e.g., made available through second server 2704 or a third-party server).

In one or more embodiments, identifier(s) 2804 may include information regarding properties of first content 2743 and second content 2773 that are rendered on first device 2740 and second device 2750 respectively. In one or more embodiments, audio ACR 2902 may be a technique of generating audio fingerprints based on properties of first content 2743/second content 2773 and incorporating those fingerprints into identifier(s) (2802, 2804)/first data 2794/second data 2774. In one or more embodiments, the audio fingerprints may be a tiny representation of an audio that can be transmitted and compared against previously or concurrently generated fingerprints arriving from trusted sources (e.g., radio stations). In one or more embodiments, should sufficiently matching fingerprints be found, the audio may thus be identified. In one example embodiment, identifier(s) (2802, 2804) may be obtained using audio ACR 2902 correlated against TV schedule 2914.

In one or more embodiments, video ACR 2904 may be a technique of generating video fingerprints based on properties of first content 2743/second content 2773 and incorporating those fingerprints into identifier(s) (2802, 2804)/first data 2794/second data 2774. Again, in one or more embodiments, the video fingerprints may be a tiny representation of a video that can be transmitted and compared against previously or concurrently generated fingerprints arriving from trusted sources (e.g., cable, TV stations). In one or more embodiments, should sufficiently matching fingerprints be found, the video may thus be identified. In one example embodiment, identifier(s) (2802, 2804) may be obtained using video ACR 2904 correlated against TV schedule 2914.

In one or more embodiments, audio watermarks 2906 may refer to a piece of data stored within an audio stream of first content 2743/second content 2773, which is not readily discernible to an individual listening to the content thereof. In one or more embodiments, video watermarks 2908 may refer to a piece of data stored within a video stream of first content 2743/second content 2773, which is not readily identifiable to an individual watching/listening to the content.

In one or more embodiments, embedded metadata 2910 may be information about a digital asset stored inside a digital file related to first content 2743/second content 2773. In one or more embodiments, channel change data 2912 may be information received regarding the switching of channels while the user (to be discussed below) is watching a TV program/show (e.g., first content 2743, second content 2773).

In one or more embodiments, TV schedule 2914 may be a plan of times at which a television program/show is scheduled to be broadcasted for viewing. In one or more embodiments, TV schedule 2914 may be the interrelationship and/or association of a television program/show with audio ACR 2902, video ACR 2904, audio watermarks 2906, video watermarks 2908, embedded metadata 2910, and channel change data 2912 to obtain identifier(s) 2804/second data 2774.

FIG. 29 shows second device 2750 including a processor 2922 communicatively coupled to a memory 2924; memory 2924 is shown as including a content ID client 2950 executable through second device 2750. In one or more embodiments, as discussed above, content ID client 2950 may implement audio or video ACR (discussed above) to determine identifier(s) 2804 from metadata embedded (e.g., embedded metadata 2910) in first content 2743/second content 2773 and/or from a channel number plus a channel guide (e.g., channel change data 2912). Further, in one or more embodiments, content ID client 2950 may determine identifier(s) 2804 from audio watermarks 2906 and/or video watermarks 2908 appearing in first content 2743/second content 2773.

It should be noted that content ID client 2950 may be communicatively coupled to second server 2704 through computer network 2708. In one or more embodiments, the obtaining of identifier(s) 2802 may also be through processes identical to that of identifier(s) 2804.

In one or more embodiments, in accordance with the determination that first content 2743 and second content 2773 are related based on identifier(s) (2802, 2804), attribution server 2706 may determine likely association of first device 2740 and second device 2750. In one or more embodiments, attribution server 2706 may combine first data 2794 and second data 2774 to match rendering(s) of first content 2743 with renderings of second content 2773 on devices in a same location (e.g., household), devices owned by the same user, devices behind the same public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or devices otherwise associated with one another. The aforementioned devices may be regarded as associated devices. Exemplary embodiments provide for ways to determine the likely association of first device 2740 and second device 2750 with a same user (to be discussed below).

Additionally, when first content 2743 is rendered on first device 2740 and second content 2773 is later (temporally) rendered on second device 2750, and attribution server 2706 is able to establish that first device 2740 and second device 2750 are associated devices, tune-ins at ends of both devices (first device 2740 and second device 2750) by the same user may be verified. Additionally, exemplary embodiments may provide for a fraction of analogous first devices (e.g., first device 2740) rendering first content 2743 and associated with analogous second devices (e.g., second device 2750) that later render second content 2773. The aforementioned fraction may be interpreted as a verified tune-in rate.

In accordance with the exemplary embodiments discussed herein, the user (to be discussed below) may be verified as the consumer of first content 2743 on first device 2740 and the consumer of second content 2773 on second device 2750. In one or more embodiments, the aforementioned verification (also interpreted as a user verified tune-in) may require reliable confirmation that the user is using each of first device 2740 and second device 2750 at the appropriate times. In one or more embodiments, this may be established with logins or may be accepted as default for devices that are personal in nature such as a mobile phone. In one or more embodiments, the fraction of confirmed users of first content 2743 that later became confirmed users consuming second content 2773 may be interpreted as the user verified tune-in rate.

It should be noted that, in one or more embodiments, an entity (e.g., an entity server) may perform any subset or all of the roles of attribution server 2706, first server 2702 and second server 2704. In other words, at least two of: attribution server 2706, first server 2702 and second server 2704 are the same device. It should also be noted that, in one or more embodiments, first device 2740 and second device 2750 may be the same device.

Exemplary embodiments propose a number of ways of associating first device 2740 and second device 2750. FIG. 30 shows association of first device 2740 and second device 2750 based on shared public IP addresses, according to one embodiment. In one or more embodiments, request 2742 from first device 2740 may include a public IP address 3002 of first device 2740, a cookie 3004 and/or a requested resource 3006. In one or more embodiments, public IP address 3002 (or, more generically, a public network identifier) may be any valid address and/or a number accessible through the Internet. Public IP address 3002 may be designated for use in a public domain. In one or more embodiments, cookie 3004 may be a message sent to a web browser application (e.g., executing on first device 2740) by a web server/first server 2702. In one or more embodiments, using cookie 3004 may enable webmasters/ad data provider 2752 to log more detailed information about how individual users are accessing a web site and/or a channel.

In one or more embodiments, cookie 3004 may include an identifier 3022 of a user 3024 of first device 2740; the aforementioned identifier 3022 may be communicated to attribution server 2706 and customized web pages may be prepared for user 3024. In another embodiment, cookie 3004 may be communicated to first server 2702 in order to track exposures to advertisement(s) (e.g., advertisement 2744; example first content 2743).

In one or more embodiments, requested resource 3006 may be desired information requested by first device 2740. It should be noted that elements discussed with respect to first device 2740 may also be applicable to second device 2750. In one or more embodiments, based on accessing first data 2794/second data 2774, the same public IP address 3002 may be determined to be dispensed to both first device 2740 and second device 2750 anytime within a threshold time range 3012 (e.g., predefined) such that the aforementioned public IP address 3002 may be deemed to be shared therebetween; threshold time range 3012 is shown in FIG. 30 as being stored as part of both first data 2794 and second data 2774.

In one or more embodiments, based on the shared public IP address 3002, first device 2740 and second device 2750 may be determined through attribution server 2706 to be associated with each other. In one example embodiment, attribution server 2706 may receive public IP address 3002 of second device 2750 from content ID data provider 2772 through content identifying data 2776 (or, a log); attribution server 2706 may receive public IP address 3002 of first device 2740 from ad data provider 2752 through content view log 2796. Here, when both pieces of information are available, attribution server 2706 may determine that public IP address 3002 of second device 2750 and first device 2740 are the same based on the sharing thereof within threshold time range 3012.

FIG. 31 shows alternate forms of association between first device 2740 and second device 2750. Instead of or in addition to utilizing public IP address 3002, second device 2750 may provide a device ID 3152 thereof or an ID (e.g., user ID 3154) of the user (e.g., user 3024) thereof. For example, user ID 3154 may be an e-mail address provided to second device 2750. Similarly, first device 2740 may provide a device ID 3102 thereof or another ID (e.g., user ID 3104) of the user (e.g., user 3024) thereof. As with user ID 3154, user ID 3104 may identify user 3024 of first device 2740 and may be an e-mail address or another identifier (not shown). For example, user ID 3154 may be an Apple IDFA or an identifier dropped in a cookie (e.g., cookie 3004). FIG. 31 shows device ID 3102 and user ID 3104 as part of first data 2794, and device ID 3152 and user ID 3154 as part of second data 2774; public IP address 3002 is shown as part of both first data 2794 and second data 2774.

In some embodiments, a third party (e.g., a server other than attribution server 2706) may separately obtain a direct or indirect mapping between user ID 3104 and user ID 3154 and/or any piece of information shared (e.g., to be discussed below) in common between first device 2740 and second device 2750. Examples of shared piece of information may include public IP address 3002, as discussed above, a mutual view of a wireless LAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) base station or any other mutually visible signal, a postal address and a geolocation. In one or more embodiments, once first device 2740 and second device 2750 have been associated in a manner available to attribution server 2706, any data of future renderings of content on first device 2740 and second device 2750 accessible to attribution server 2706 can be matched.

In some embodiments, the mapping through attribution server 2706 may be a process of understanding and organizing flow of content for a website, a TV channel, a nurturing campaign and/or a blog to render information presentable to an audience based on needs thereof and stage thereof in the viewing cycle. In one example embodiment, the mapping may be a process of assigning attributes to the first data 2794/content view log 2796 and second data 2774/content identifying data 2776 in a device map table 3120 of attribution server 2706. FIG. 31 shows attribution server 2706 as including a processor 3132 communicatively coupled to a memory 3134; memory 3134 is shown as including device map table 3120. In one or more embodiments, first device 2740 and second device 2750 may be deemed to be associated if a mapping is obtained between the first data 2794/content view log 2796 and second data 2774/content identifying data 2776.

In one or more embodiments, device map table 3120 may be one or more data structure(s) used to organize information tied to first device 2740 and second device 2750 that allows attribution server 2706 to determine the association therebetween. In some embodiments, device map table 3120 may be stored in a server or a device external to attribution server 2706, instead of being stored in attribution server 2706, as shown in FIG. 31. In the context of the present description, the term “associated,” when used to describe two devices, means that a relationship exists between the two devices such that, to an acceptable degree of likelihood, conclusions may be drawn when examining the behavior and/or use of both devices (e.g. presentation/rendering of content) through attribution server 2706.

As another specific example, if an episode of a TV show (example first content 2743) is displayed on a TV (example first device 2740), and one of the people watching the show later watches a different TV show (example second content 2773) on a mobile phone (example second device 2750), attribution server 2706 may be able to identify a viewing correlation (to be discussed below) between first content 2743 and second content 2773 once the association between the TV (example first device 2740) and the mobile phone (example second device 2750) is determined.

Referring back to FIG. 31, first data 2794 and second data 2774 may further include a visible wireless LAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) base station signal identifier (3106, 3156), another mutually visible (e.g., to both first device 2740 and second device 2750) signal identifier (3108, 3158), a device owner identifier (3110, 3160), a postal address identifier (3112, 3162) and a geolocation identifier (3114, 3164; e.g., a geolocation identifier of first device 2740 and second device 2750).

FIG. 31 also shows a wireless LAN (e.g., Wi-Fi) base station 3180 that may be a base station acting as a wireless access point to a computer network (e.g., the Internet) for computers and other devices able to communicate wirelessly. Wireless LAN base station 3180, shown as base station 3180 in FIG. 31, may be a router or an access point that communicates with devices in accordance with the IEEE 803.11 standards. In an example embodiment, when a signal 3182 of base station 3180 is visible to both first device 2740 and second device 2750 within a threshold time range 3184 of one another (and is deducible through the shared visible base station signal identifier (3106, 3156)), user 3024 of first device 2740 and second device 2750 may be inferred to be the same.

Likewise, other mutually visible signal(s) (not shown; deducible through another mutually visible signal identifier (3108, 3158) gleaned from first data 2794/second data 2774), postal address identifier (3112, 3162; postal address shared between first device 2740 and second device 2750 gleaned from first data 2794/second data 2774) and geolocation identifier (3114, 3164; geolocation shared between first device 2740 and second device 2750 gleaned from first data 2794/second data 2774) may be utilized to associate first device 2740 and second device 2750. It should be noted that appropriate sensor(s) and elements may be provided in the system involving the abovementioned servers and devices to collect relevant information.

Now, in one or more embodiments, it can be seen that the same user (e.g., user 3024) is likely to have rendered second content 2773 on second device 2750 based on exposure thereof to first content 2743 on first device 2740 in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of second content 2773 on second device and the one or more request(s) 2797 _(1-N) from first device 2740 are separated in time within a threshold value (e.g., threshold time range 3150 shown as stored in attribution server 2706 in FIG. 31; it should be noted that threshold time range 3150 may also be, in certain embodiments, dependent on threshold time range 3012/3184) thereof, the determined relation between first content 2743 and second content 2773, and the determined likely association of first device 2740 and second device 2750 with user 3024.

FIG. 32 shows verification of the association between first device 2740 and second device 2750. Again, here, user 3024 may be the individual operating first device 2740 and second device 2750 for viewing first content 2743 and second content 2773 respectively. Here, first device 2740 and second device 2750 may be coupled through some form of wired or wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth pairing); the aforementioned process may be termed “pairing.” In one embodiment, device map table 3120 discussed above may additionally associate first device 2740 and second device 2750 after pairing (e.g., explicit pairing, pairing through information discussed below) thereof by user 3024.

For example, one device (e.g., first device 2740) may display some information (e.g. a short code 3202, a QR code 3204, a barcode 3206) that user 3024 enters (e.g., types in, captures with camera, etc.) into second device 2750. In another example, first device 2740 and second device 2750 may be paired through some form of wired or wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth pairing); the pairing may then be reported to first server 2702 (e.g., logged therein as pairing identifier 3212) and passed on to attribution server 2706 to be stored in device map table 3120 thereof. It should also be noted that short code 3202, QR code 3204, barcode 3206 and pairing identifier 3212 may be shared across both first device 2740 and second device 2750. As a result, the aforementioned parameters are shown as stored in both memory 2844 of first server 2702 and memory 2854 of second server 2704, as shown in FIG. 32, in one embodiment.

As another of the pairing example(s) discussed above, user 3024 may employ/utilize a user name 3214 as a denomination and/or a tag under which first device 2740 and second device 2750 are paired. Short code 3202 may be a cipher used for pairing first device 2740 and second device 2750. Thus, it clearly can be seen that the likely association of first device 2740 and second device 2750 with the same user 3024 discussed with reference to FIGS. 30-31 may be confirmed through the pairing discussed in FIG. 32.

It should be noted that the association of first device 2740 and second device 2750 need not occur at the same time as the rendering of first content 2743 on first device 2740 and/or the rendering of second content 2773 of second device 2750. In one or more embodiments, the association and/or pairing may occur at any time in a temporal past or a temporal future relative to the rendering of first content 2743 and/or second content 2773. In one or more embodiments, said association and/or pairing may be performed via first device 2740, second device 2750 or attribution server 2706 using any of the methods discussed above.

Also, other languages may be used to generate requests (e.g., request 2742) that are logged for purposes of pairing exposure to first content 2743. For example, an advertisement (e.g., advertisement 2744) may be rendered on an Google Android device and logged via code (e.g., instructions) written in Java. The logging may be any communiqué that specifies (e.g., based on timestamps) that a rendering of first content 2743 occurred on first device 2740 at a particular time, as discussed above.

While some preferred embodiments discussed herein are related to video/audio rendering on first device 2740 and second device 2750, other preferred embodiments may relate to site visits based on exposure to a media content (e.g., first content 2743, second content 2773). For example, a user (e.g., user 3024) Joe may watch “The Crazy Good Show” (example first content 2743) on his TV (here interpreted as first device 2740). He may love the show enough to pick up his tablet (now interpreted as second device 2750), open a web browser thereon and visit the website for “The Crazy Good Show” to learn more about the show and creators thereof. The domain name related to the website may be www.crazygoodshow.com. The aforementioned may be an example of a “site visit” (example second content 2773) based on exposure to “The Crazy Good Show” (example first content 2743).

In the above example, the entity logging requests (e.g., request 2775) generated by visitors to the site www.crazygoodshow.com may be the site data provider (analogous to content ID data provider 2772), and the server associated therewith may be second server 2704. The entity logging rendering(s) of first content 2743 on the TV (example first device 2740) may be the content ID data provider (analogous to ad data provider 2752), and the server associated therewith may be first server 2702. It should be noted that request 2742 may be related to the rendering of first content 2743 on the TV (example first device 2740).

In yet another example, user 3024 may watch an advertisement (example first content 2743) for a “Flipper Flying Car” on first device 2740 (e.g., a television). User 3024 may be interested to visit a website thereof. To quench his/her interest, user may open a laptop (example second device 2750) thereof and search for “Flipper Flying Car” on a web search engine to visit the website (example second content 2773).

It should be noted that first content 2743 may also include a website, a mobile application or a piece of software rendered on first device 2740. Said first content 2743 may in some way be related to second content 2773. All possibilities indicated in the discussions above are within the scope of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

Analogous to the verified tune-in rate discussed above, data logged at first server 2702 and second server 2704 may be matched through attribution server 2706 to determine a site visit rate, and association between first device 2740 and second device 2750 confirmed to determine a verified site visit rate. The associable content may extend across web sites, videos and even slide presentations.

In one or more embodiments, first device 2740 discussed above may use a Same Network Service to associate itself (e.g., through computer network 2708) with second device 2750. With respect to attribution server 2706, if first device 2740 and second device 2750 are determined to be on the same computer network (e.g., computer network 2708), then user 3024 of the Same Network and a user of first device 2740 are assumed to be the same.

Also, it should be noted that a same device (e.g., first device 2740) may render first content 2743 and second content 2773 thereon. A party related to attribution server 2706 may be interested in knowing whether someone who watched first content 2743 on first device 2740 converted to watching something related (e.g., second content 2773) on first device 2740. Obtainable analogous conversion metrics such as a Broadcast-to-Broadcast conversion rate (analogous to verified tune-in rate/tune-in rate and site visit rate) are within the scope of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

Further, it should be noted that client device 100 (or, mobile device 100 of FIGS. 1-19 and FIGS. 22-23) may be first device 2740 (or, second device 2750) and networked device 102 (or, television 102 of FIGS. 1-19 and 22-23) may be second device 2750 (or, first device 2740). In other words, in one example embodiment, first device 2740 may be executing, in a constrained environment (e.g., executable environment 106) within a security sandbox (e.g., security sandbox 104), a sandboxed application (e.g., sandboxed application 112) thereon. Here, first content 2743 may be rendered through the sandboxed application.

It should therefore be obvious that the discovery service discussed above with reference to discovery module 302 may be applicable and available through computer network 2708. In one or more embodiments, the aforementioned discovery service may be utilized to determine presence of first device 2740 and second device 2750 on a same private network of computer network 2708, as discussed above. Here, based on the determination of the discovery service, likely association of first device 2740 and second device 2750 with a same user (e.g., user 3024) may be identified.

Further, relevancy-matching server 200 and/or content identification server 1006 may perform one or more operations associated with first server 2702, second server 2704 and/or attribution server 2706. Still further, renderings related to first device 2740 and second device 2750 may be stored in the same server (e.g., first server 2702, second server 2704). All reasonable variations are within the scope of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

FIG. 33 shows a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved in a method of an attribution server (e.g., attribution server 2706) communicatively coupled to a first server (e.g., first server 2702) of a network data provider (e.g., ad data provider 2752) and a second server (e.g., second server 2704) of a content ID data provider (e.g., content ID data provider 2772) through a computer network (e.g., computer network 2708), according to one or more embodiments. In one or more embodiments, operation 3302 may involve determining that one or more request(s) (e.g., one or more request(s) 2797 _(1-N)) is received through the computer network from a first device (e.g., first device 2740) based on accessing first data (e.g., first data 2794) related to renderings of a first content (e.g., first content 2743) logged at the first server.

In one or more embodiments, the first data may include data related to the one or more request(s), and the one or more request(s) may be made in response to a request for the first content on the first device or the first content being rendered on the first device. In one or more embodiments, operation 3304 may involve determining rendering of a second content (e.g., second content 2773) on a second device (e.g., second device 2750) based on accessing second data (e.g., second data 2774) logged at the second server. In one or more embodiments, the second data may be related to renderings of content on the second device.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3306 may involve determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers (e.g., identifiers 2802 and 2804) thereof. In one or more embodiments, operation 3308 may involve determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user (e.g., user 3024) based on determining a public network identifier (e.g., public IP address 3002) shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifier(s) (e.g., through device map table 3120, device ID(s) (3102, 3152)) thereof through the first data and the second data and/or a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal (wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi; e.g., based on visible base station signal identifier (3106, 3156)), another mutually visible signal (e.g., based on another mutually visible signal identifier (3108, 3158)), a postal address identifier (e.g., postal address identifier (3112, 3162)), a geolocation (e.g., based on geolocation identifier (3114, 3164)), and/or a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3310 may then involve determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device based on exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the one or more request(s) from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value (e.g., threshold time range 3150) thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.

FIG. 34 shows a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved in another method of an attribution server (e.g., attribution server 2706) communicatively coupled to a first server (e.g., first server 2702) of a site data provider (e.g., analogous to content ID data provider 2772) and a second server (e.g., second server 2704) of a content ID data provider (e.g., here analogous to ad data provider 2752) through a computer network (e.g., computer network 2708), according to one or more embodiments. It should be noted that all other elements discussed herein are analogous to the numbered elements referred to in FIG. 33.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3402 may involve determining that one or more request(s) is received through the computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content logged at the first server. In one or more embodiments, the first data may include data related to the one or more request(s), and the one or more request(s) may be made in response to a request for the first content on the first device or the first content being rendered on the first device. In one or more embodiments, operation 3404 may involve determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data logged at the second server. In one or more embodiments, the second data may be related to renderings of content on the second device.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3406 may involve determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof. In one or more embodiments, operation 3408 may involve determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through the first data and the second data and/or a third party server, a mutually visible base station (e.g., wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi) signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and/or a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3410 may then involve determining that the same user is likely to have originated the one or more request(s) from the first device based on exposure thereof to the second content on the second device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the one or more request(s) from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.

FIG. 35 shows a process flow diagram detailing the operations involved in yet another method of an attribution server (e.g., attribution server 2706) communicatively coupled to a server (e.g., first server 2702, second server 2704) of a content ID data provider (e.g., content ID data provider 2772) through a computer network (e.g., computer network 2708), according to one or more embodiments. Again, it should be noted that all other elements discussed herein are analogous to the numbered elements referred to in FIGS. 33-34.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3502 may involve determining that one or more request(s) is received through the computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content logged at the server. In one or more embodiments, the first data may include data related to the one or more request(s), and the one or more request(s) may be made in response to a request for the first content on the first device or the first content being rendered on the first device. In one or more embodiments, operation 3504 may involve determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data logged at the server. In one or more embodiments, the second data may be related to renderings of content on the second device.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3506 may involve determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof. In one or more embodiments, operation 3508 may involve determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through the first data and the second data and/or a third party server, a mutually visible base station (e.g., wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi) signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and/or a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network.

In one or more embodiments, operation 3510 may then involve determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device after exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the one or more request(s) from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.

Although the present embodiments have been described with reference to a specific example embodiment, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the various embodiments. For example, the various devices and modules described herein may be enabled and operated using hardware circuitry (e.g., CMOS based logic circuitry), firmware, software or any combination of hardware, firmware, and software (e.g., embodied in a machine readable medium). For example, the various electrical structures and methods may be embodied using transistors, logic gates, and electrical circuits (e.g., application specific integrated (ASIC) circuitry and/or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) circuitry).

In addition, it will be appreciated that the various operations, processes, and methods disclosed herein may be embodied in a machine-readable medium and/or a machine accessible medium compatible with a data processing system (e.g., a content matching system 2700). Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative in rather than a restrictive sense. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of an attribution server comprising: determining that at least one request is received through a computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device, the first data comprising data related to the at least one request, and the at least one request being made in response to one of: a request for the first content on the first device and the first content being rendered on the first device; determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device; determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof; determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining at least one of: a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through at least one of: the first data and the second data, and a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network; and determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device based on exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the at least one request from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the first data is logged at a first server of a network data provider, the second data is logged at a second server of a content identification (ID) data provider, and the attribution server is communicatively coupled to the first server and the second server through the computer network.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the first content comprises at least one of an advertisement, a promotion, and a piece of content which is one of: broadcast, streamed, downloaded, and executed, and the second content comprises at least one of: a TV show, a movie, a TV channel, a radio program, a game, and another piece of content which is one of: broadcast, streamed, downloaded and executed.
 4. The method of claim 1, comprising: executing, in a constrained environment within a security sandbox, a sandboxed application on the first device; and rendering the first content through the sandboxed application.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of: at least two of: the attribution server, the first server and the second server are the same device, and the first device and the second device are the same device.
 6. The method of claim 1, comprising obtaining at least a portion of the second data accessed by the attribution server using at least one of: an audio automatic content recognition (ACR), a video ACR, audio watermarks, video watermarks, an embedded metadata, and a channel change data correlated against a TV schedule.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one request is a network request comprising at least one of: a public Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first device, a cookie, and a requested resource.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data is a public IP address shared between the first device and the second device at any time within a predefined time range.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying association of the first device and the second device with the same user when the same user one of: explicitly pairs the first device and the second device and pairs the first device and the second device using at least one of: a user name and a short code.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the first device and the second device are likely associated with the same user occurs after the at least one request from the first device and the rendering of the second content on the second device.
 11. A method of an attribution server comprising: determining that at least one request is received through a computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content on the first device, the first data comprising data related to the at least one request, and the at least one request being made in response to one of: a request for the first content on the first device and the first content being rendered on the first device; determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data related to renderings of content on the second device; determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof; determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining at least one of: a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through at least one of: the first data and the second data, and a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network; and determining that the same user is likely to have originated the at least one request from the first device based on exposure thereof to the second content on the second device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the at least one request from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein: the first data is logged at a first server of a site data provider, the second data is logged at a second server of a content ID data provider, and the attribution server is communicatively coupled to the first server and the second server through the computer network.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein: the first content comprises at least one of a web site, a mobile application, and a desktop application, and the second content comprises at least one of a TV show, a movie, a TV channel, a radio program, a game, and another piece of content that is one of broadcast, streamed, downloaded and executed.
 14. The method of claim 11, comprising: executing, in a constrained environment within a security sandbox, a sandboxed application on the first device; and rendering the first content through the sandboxed application.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of: at least two of: the attribution server, the first server and the second server are the same device, and the first device and the second device are the same device.
 16. The method of claim 11, comprising obtaining at least a portion of the second data accessed by the attribution server using at least one of: an audio ACR, a video ACR, audio watermarks, video watermarks, an embedded metadata, and a channel change data correlated against a TV schedule.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one request is a network request comprising at least one of: a public IP address of the first device, a cookie, and a requested resource.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data is a public IP address shared between the first device and the second device at any time within a predefined time range.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising verifying association of the first device and the second device with the same user when the same user one of: explicitly pairs the first device and the second device and pairs the first device and the second device using at least one of: a user name and a short code.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the determination of whether the first device and the second device are likely associated with the same user occurs after the at least one request from the first device and the rendering of the second content on the second device.
 21. A method of an attribution server communicatively coupled to a server of a content ID data provider through a computer network, comprising: determining that at least one request is received through the computer network from a first device based on accessing first data related to renderings of a first content logged at the server, the first data comprising data related to the at least one request, and the at least one request being made in response to one of: a request for the first content on the first device and the first content being rendered on the first device; determining rendering of a second content on a second device based on accessing second data logged at the server, the second data related to renderings of content on the second device; determining that the first content and the second content are related based on identifiers thereof; determining likely association of the first device and the second device with a same user based on determining at least one of: a public network identifier shared between the first device and the second device in the first data and the second data, mapping between device identifiers thereof through at least one of: the first data and the second data, and a third party server, a mutually visible base station signal, another mutually visible signal, a postal address identifier, a geolocation, and a discovery service available through the computer network to determine presence of the first device and the second device on a same private network of the computer network; and determining that the same user is likely to have rendered the second content on the second device after exposure thereof to the first content on the first device in accordance with additionally determining that the rendering of the second content on the second device and the at least one request from the first device are separated in time within a threshold value thereof, the determined relation between the first content and the second content, and the determined likely association of the first device and the second device with the same user. 